Nightmares
by Fher34
Summary: Hinata rested her forehead on the transparent wall dividing them from reality and madness and sighed, her breath misting the mirror on his side. Sasuke watched with narrowed eyes, waiting for the fog to fade away but stiffened when the slow written words 'I Know You're Scared; I Am Too' appeared instead of the bluenette. Chp5. Deliriums. SASUHINA Postwar. AU. Between T
1. Preface: Hate

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**Nightmares**

**by**

_**Fher34**_

_A SasuHina Story_

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**Preface:**

_Hate_

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_"We hate some persons because we do not know them; and will not know them because we hate them."_

-**Charles Caleb Colton**

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The first time he saw her after returning, Uchiha Sasuke hated her.

He hated her honest white Hyuuga eyes, the innocence found in her light, lavender depths. He'd ground his teeth at her voice, soft and polite, every time the dobe held a conversation with her and he was forced to listen because he couldn't leave the blond's side. After all, the Uchiha traitor couldn't be trusted, couldn't be on his own, couldn't be _free_. If one of his teammates or sensei wasn't with him, he couldn't leave his house or walk around Konoha unaccompanied.

Hn, as if he would step into that worthless village willingly, anyway.

She irritated him when she stuttered, her cheeks burning in embarrassment at the most silliest things, her five feet four body hiding beneath thick layers of cloth. It annoyed him that when she looked at him there was nothing but a pure sense of curiosity. She had regarded him like that from the very beginning, her gaze ungrudging, honest, and vulnerable, when the dobe introduced them. He would have preferred fear, hatred, even pity.

Curiosity?

Not so much.

She made him feel like a pinned insect in a laboratory as she looked at his figure when she thought he wasn't paying attention, inspecting him with those creepy eyes of hers as if she could see. As if she could _understand _**_him_**_**.**_

_Stupid Hyuuga._

"Nothing can get pass Konoha's white eyes," he'd heard.

What an unrealistic assumption. The Byakugan had a blind spot, didn't it?

She had changed from the mousy twelve year old he'd see at the back of the classroom in the Academy; quiet and withdrawn; never voicing out her opinions to anyone; always civil and meek; getting flustered at everything and nothing; pointed out as weak by her own shy and humble nature.

She was a member of the mighty Hyuuga clan, taught in the secrets of her family's techniques, and yet, she couldn't even match one of the weakest girls in a friendly spar because she was afraid she'd hurt her classmates. Ha! She was a shinobi, not a mother hen, he had thought back then when he first caught sight of her at age eight, a few months after the massacre of his clan, only to dismiss her as pathetic the second her face was shoved into the dirt because he knew she could have won the match but she had refused to fight. Instead, she had admitted her defeat, cheekbones pooled with warm blood as she bowed to her opponent.

_She's weak._

"She's pretty strong," the dobe had claimed after a spar with the Hyuuga using only taijutsu when the opposite thought had come to Sasuke years before.

Sasuke, to a very minimal, almost nonexistent extent, had to admit the orange ninja had a point.

While the dobe used brute force to charge in, the Hyuuga girl had simply danced her way across and cut his nerves, locked his muscles, and left him down on his knees for a moment, completely paralyzed and useless. It'd been just a demonstration, the blond had assured hastily as he tried to save some of his dignity, because this was the first time they'd try to train together and they needed to see each other's abilities to acquire a training style and whatnot.

Bah, excuses.

Sasuke had then thought with dark amusement that for such a tiny little thing, the timid Hyuuga was fast. She acted with an efficiency he had refused to note in the start and was proving him wrong without even being aware of it. She wasn't as fast as him, far from that, but she might have just been fast enough.

With her exceptional chakra control and fluid movements, the dobe had learned a few tricks not only to improve his control over the ridiculous amounts of ki reserves he had but in defending himself against tenketsu11 blockers such as the Hyuuga without overwhelming the chakra points in his body.

His amusement had been short-lived when she had offered each of them bentos the next day.

Onigiris.

Memories had rushed into his mind, leaving him rooted to the spot, staring at the food that had obviously being well-prepared. But that wasn't the problem. No, he'd eaten and seen the rice balls after the massacre, after her mother and clan had been killed by his elder brother when he was ordered by the village elders to do so. No, it wasn't that.

It had been the tomato fillings and the sincerity in which she had smiled and giving it to him.

She had been kind and she had awakened memories he'd locked into his heart before ripping it out.

She had made him feel weak, _normal_, and he had set himself in a path of darkness where death roamed to get rid of his impotence, only to have a simple gesture of kindness crack his walls.

Kindness was not given to a traitor and it certainly was not well received by the Uchiha.

Sasuke hated what she represented and that she had what he didn't.

Innocence, white, _pure,_ and untainted by the horrors of death and betrayal...A clan, a family, the title of _heir_.

He hated her, even now, four months later. He was everything she was not and he couldn't comprehend how, after the war and the death of many at the hands of Uchiha Obito and Uchiha Madara, she could still live in that state of ignorance. It infuriated him. Just how mindless could this girl be, he had wondered countless of times as he witnessed the blond and the girl's time together as he was forced to tag along.

He hated her, but he had to save her and bring her back to Konoha, as much as he felt like breaking each of her tiny bones and slender white neck in his frustration because she was a puzzle he couldn't put together throughout sleepless nights in the abandoned Uchiha compound, where insomnia plagued him for long periods of infinite time.

And tonight was one of those nights in which she was still a mystery he couldn't explain and his eyes refused to slide shut because they knew that if they did, that if they so much as closed, their owner would reawakened the memories that haunted him.

The Nightmares.

They were always there, lingering in the corners of his mind, ready to torment him and drag him into a void where Madness ruled without opposition accompanied by the smell of death. They were constant and loud, always hurting, always torturing him, forever stacked in his mind for later uncontrolled retrieval.

Sasuke stepped into the cold, musty chamber, his emotionless eyes flat as he bypassed the two guards' fresh corpses, the sharp deadly tip of his weapon dripping the still hot liquid their hearts wouldn't be pumping in their bodies ever again, and watched _her_. The little Hyuuga princess with eyes like the moon and face of a doll.

The even up-and-down movement of her ample chest as she slept made his veins run ice cold with disdain and rage, sentiments he was acquainted with. As he stared at her sleeping form on the wooden table her captors, without a doubt, had dumped her on a while ago, at the black violet strands of long hair sprawled carelessly to the side, and at parted full lips, the unmistakable rush of jealousy and contempt overtook his senses, blinding the last Uchiha survivor without his consent.

For a pause that felt longer than necessary, he stood with his bloody katana in hand, still, wondering how in _hell_ she managed to sleep, unperturbed, after knowing she had been kidnapped, beaten, and perhaps even raped by a group of reneged Mist ninjas who had been after her Byagukan eyes, when he himself could not after years of trying?

She was sleeping.

_Sleeping_.

He felt his jaw clench.

_Stupid Hyuuga_.

He had heard her screams signaling her position just as he made his way inside the abandoned hideout. The bloodcurdling pleas—that had against his self-control managed to rise goose-bumps on his arms at the despair in them as she was being tortured by the men surrounding her— had bounced off the walls in an infinite echo, and now, after all the things she had gone through, she slept?

She looked peaceful, as if by succumbing to a deep slumber her reality would fade away and she would wake up to find herself in her room, _safe_, warm, and with her family back in her village. As if she could escape the nightmare she had gone through starting a week ago and the fact that her eyes were being put into jars if she slipped into unconsciousness for a little while.

_Stupid, stupid Hyuuga girl._

The Nightmares were there to stay and they wouldn't vanish; he, of all people, knew that, and it was about time the little kunoichi learned that as well.

He narrowed crimson eyes, taking notice of her tattered black thermal shirt, now ripped beyond recognition, hanging to her figure by a mere tread, her dark green vest long gone. Angry bruises covered her forearms, neck, arms, and face, the purple eggplant color of the raw meat contrasting highly with her white, porcelain skin, and for a second he thought that the deep red color of blood would have made a better match against her creamy flesh instead.

Her wrists and ankles were tied by leather straps, holding on tight, immobilizing her body as he for once took over the title of inspector and not the object being observed. The tables had been turned, and now it was him who watched her closely, and not the other way around.

Her black pants were dirty, torn, and stiff with dried plasma. Whether it was her own or not, he wasn't certain, but that was irrelevant. He had to take her out of here now. It was the mission he was assigned to complete with his ANBU team after all, and if he didn't bring her back alive, that crazy Hokage might just put him in the D-missions roster again and he was ANBU, not a stupid genin fresh out of the Academy. Not to mention how that Hyuuga boy and the stupid dobe might react if he just lets the girl die off. Not that he cared about what those imbeciles thought but he did value his personal space and to have a Hyuuga prodigy threatening him every chance he got was the last thing he wanted.

Without wasting any more time, he cut the restrainers, the sharp blade of his katana cutting through them like air, and scooped the Hyuuga girl up in his arms none too gently. He just wanted to get this over with and drag the idiot to the training grounds for a devastating but needed fight to relieve the tension forming on his shoulders.

Before he could continue, two transparent containers caught his attention, the glare of a dirty, aged lamp, the only source of light in the darkened room, reflected on its glassy surface, beckoning the Uchiha closer.

He lifted the petite girl up on his shoulder to grab crystalline flasks and realized with a chill that the pair of lavender orbs floating in the clear, thick liquid were the Hyuuga Clan's prided Byakugan, fresh and unblinking, staring back at him with no emotion.

He felt his stomach turn but ignored it. He'd seen far worse, starting with Danzo's demonstration years ago, why would the Hyuuga be any different? She had been careless, getting captured like that.

_Stupid Hyuuga._

Without looking back at the dead bodies laid on the floor, Uchiha Sasuke left the way he'd come with an eyeless Hyuuga Hinata in arms.

**XXXX**

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**A/N: Mwhehe, I've been wanting to do a SasuHina story for a while now, but my first two tries weren't as interesting as this one, so I'm sticking with this project for now. My other story, if you've seen it, isn't done yet (it's a NaruHina) but I'm working on it either way. This came in one sitting, so I hope you enjoyed it. **

**Do I deserve a review? **


	2. Chapter 1: Return

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_**Chapter 1:**_

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_Return_

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_I'm once again back home_

_But nothing is what I used to love._

_My return has broken hearts,_

_My return brings pain and an eternal scar._

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_"I'm sorry, Sasuke..."_

Sasuke's eyes opened deliberately at the familiar voice.

He looked directly into his brother's pained but smiling face, his eyes wrinkled at the sides as his smile stretched, the blood running down his chin and dripping down onto the ground mixing with the cold rain of autumn.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke," Itachi repeated, this time louder and Sasuke felt his body lift from underneath water, or at least that's the closest description his confused mind could provide.

The soft pressure of his older brother's fingers on the middle of his forehead brought him back, and with wide eyes, he realized his position and the day he would forever regret.

The figure of Uchiha Itachi stood before him, weary, bloody, pained and miserable. His slashed Konoha headband shone proudly on his forehead, untouched and perhaps the only thing unstained with crimson. But Sasuke didn't notice it, nor the black flames of the Amaterasu eating away at everything around him but the man who had destroyed his life and told him all those years ago that he lacked hatred.

Itachi raised his head and firmly said,with that melancholic grin still plastered on his cold lips,"There won't be next time..." before dropping to the icy slated floor, dead.

Sasuke stared down at him blankly, numb, before his own physical state forced him to his knees and then to his back. He closed his eyes, letting the cold droplets of water wash away his exhaustion only to shrink back into a void of darkness and watch his seven-year old self run through the unusually quiet streets of the Uchiha compound in Konoha.

Then coming into the house of his childhood to see the idol he worshiped, the constant person in his life besides his mother, kill his parents.

The monster with red eyes turned to look at him, katana wet with warm liquid of _vite*_, and stared at his weak little baby brother before speaking. _"When you have eyes like mine, come and kill me._"

"W-what have you done, niisan?" Sasuke cried, his eyes wide, body shacking with untamed fear.

"I've killed. I've killed them all," he said, no expression on his face but that of apathy.

"I-I don't understand! Why? Why did you killed them?!" he demanded, his voice rising in despair.

In a flash, Itachi was in front of him, merciless as he drove his weapon across the younger Uchiha's heart and twisted the blade to the side, cracking ribs and ripping through the pumping organ beating frantically. "You're alone now, Sasuke. You will always be _alone_. No one, listen to me, no one will ever accept you and when you try to kill me, you'll die alone. Cold, and alone."

A look of disgust and hatred on his face, Itachi removed the sharp point out only to pierce his brother's leg with a sickening sucking sound again and again until Sasuke's throat was raw from screaming.

"You see, foolish little brother, this is the life of a shinobi, this is the life we must live. You'll do well to remember that. Live, Sasuke. Live, and hate me. Come after me, and kill me," Itachi murmured against his ear before vanishing into the night.

The small version of Sasuke laid on the floor, body curling into a small ball, knees drawn to him, eyes wide, mouth open, and tears running down his pale cheeks without him noticing. He was numb. He couldn't feel the cold, or the heat, or anything. His finger touched his destroyed but still-pumping heart, the red wetness spreading and looking black on the dark of shadows casted by ominous objects.

His mother's porcelain face looked directly at him from her limp position across the room, her once vivid dark eyes gone gray and flat, lifeless, her mouth shaped into a silent scream ready to pierce the stillness of the house, black-blue long hair mattered with her own blood and one of her long bangs stuck to her forehead.

And now, as he watched from afar in his current age, Sasuke couldn't help but think how gruesomely beautiful she looked.

**XXX**

"Raven."

Sasuke didn't move.

"Raven," Inuzuka Hana, the tracker of the team, called again, this time louder, her calm voice carrying out with the stale air and narrowness of the place, managing to make Sasuke blink, his memories vaporizing temporarily only to be put at the back of his mind once again and intertwining with his own dark dreams of the past, when he was barely eight years old and dreamed of the massacre every single time he closed his eyes.

Hana frowned behind her ANBU mask at the unresponsive brunette and opened her mouth to call again only to be rudely interrupted.

"What?"

If his irritated growl startled the heiress of the Inuzuka clan, she didn't show it. Instead, she turned back to the her Captain and medical ninja wearing the mask of a rabbit with purple swirls portrayed as whiskers hovering over the unconscious Hyuuga, the green hue of curative chakra glowing and lighting the cold cave they were taking refuge in. "Send this message to Konoha," she tossed him a scroll marked red. "Only Tsunade-sama will be able to read it." She spoke quickly and without looking at him again but the tone of command in her voice almost taunted him in challenging her orders, and the snarling gigantic dog at her side didn't help to relieve his irritation. It was obvious she didn't like to work with him, and that was fine with him. He wasn't liking her company any better.

Sasuke pressed his lips but didn't complain. This was his second mission out of the village and the smallest mistake would result in spending six months chained to a room in Kakashi's house, or worse, Sakura's, and there was no way in hell he was going to either.

Forming the seals necessary for summoning after drawing blood, Sasuke pressed his hand to the rocky surface and murmured, "Summoning Jutsu."

A medium-sized hawk appeared in a poof of white smoke, sharp eyes instantly focusing on its master's face and disregarding the rest of the people around them.

"Uchiha-sama," it greeted.

Sasuke only gave the animal a nod of acknowledgment, lifting the scroll so it could see. "Fly back to Konoha," he instructed flatly. "Give this directly to Tsunade Senju, no one else."

"As you wish, Uchiha-sama," the bird said as the Raven masked Uchiha placed the message on its back, securing it in a holster on the bird's back. It flapped its bronze-colored wings and flew out of the cave with an amazing speed.

Sasuke turned back to find the two females of his team looking at him with a calculated look.

"You can summon hawks."

Sasuke almost rolled his eyes at the obvious comment but didn't grace the ANBU on charge with an answer.

The Captain still watched the way the messenger hawk had left and turned back to Sasuke. "How big do your summons get?" she asked carefully and the brunette would have been able to see the wheels of her brain turning even without his Sharingan activated.

Sasuke merely stared, uncooperative and waiting for her to get on with the point of conversation.

The Captain turned to the Hyuuga girl lying on the blankets and nodded, looking back at the Uchiha with authority, something that put Sasuke immediately on guard.

Ten minutes later, the idea of using his katana to penetrate the Captain's body sounded like a very good idea to Sasuke. He crouched on his heels, elbows on knees and took off his mask, letting the cool night air brush his ink-colored bangs away from his face, where a restrainer seal on either side of his temples connected with a small sun-shaped like mark on his forehead rested, all of them blue-colored and annoying.

His summoning hawk glided through the clouds hanging over the Water Country, silent and very aware of its master's foul mood.

He had to take the Hyuuga to Konoha's hospital before dawn reached him and to his chagrin, the irritating ANBU Captain had decided to come with.

She was sitting, cross-legged, with the Hyuuga's head on her lap, tracing her fingers through her hairline like a mother would do to sooth a child.

He had been forced, in change, to place a hand on the Hyuuga's forearm to secure her from falling, but he refused to touch her anywhere else even with his gloves on, though he wouldn't have been surprised if she fell, somehow.

The girl had always being awkward and graceful simultaneously, and that was something so contradictory it was ironic.

He couldn't help but think that if she did fall, she would become the night itself.

Moonlight beams would become pale, creamy skin instead of the reflected light of the sun, creating moving shadows from every solid object down on the ground, which would later shift into long strands of hair that coiled with the wind in intangible smoky, blue ropes. The dark indigo sky would then be combined and her eyes would blink and adorn the heavens in the form of the moon.

But that would never happen.

Her skin was covered by loose pants and shirt. She wore no sandals and the white gauze covered her from her calves all the way up to her neck made her look more like a mummy than a real person. Her hair had been braided by the Captain, who had then secure the bandages on the Hyuuga's eyes, or the place where the eyes were supposed to be, but nothing remained inside that place anymore.

Just empty eye-sockets could be seen.

**XXXX**

Hyuuga Hiashi was a patient man.

After years of being the head of the Hyuuga clan, dealing with elders and diplomats from diverse lands who were more annoying than greedy (and this was saying much more than he was willing to put into words), he was bound to at least sit still with a polite, calm facade through a tortuous meeting with a wealthy parrot without trying to kill him out of boredom, irritation, or both.

Patience was a virtue that his clan prided itself in having. By wielding perfect chakra control and performing a perfected style of taijutsu requiring meditation twice a day, self-control was more than required. No, that was wrong. It wasn't required, it was _obligatory_ to have.

For years, the Hyuuga patriarch had never failed to keep a composed mask of peace, an emotionless expression that was often compared to a blank tablet of slate and declared nothing to anybody but the undeniable sense of tolerance found in the atmosphere surrounding the man.

However, there were always exceptions to every rule, whether Hiashi liked it or not, and he knew that well.

He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly though his nose, his posture rigid under Hyuuga robes, his hands clenched with fury underneath his office desk, the cup of morning tea one of the servants had brought earlier crushed under his strength and spilling its contents on the wooden floor, as he prayed for his usual state of tranquility.

Nara Shikamaru, jonin and strategist, currently stood in front of him, hands shoved into the pockets of his dark uniform, eyes half-lidded with sleep, and shoulder slumped.

For anyone out of their conversation, Shikamaru was in his typical, uninterested, careless and lazy persona. If one were to look closer, they would have seen the cold hardened gleam in his dark eyes.

"She refuses," Hiashi repeated again, his voice eerily calm, though Shikamaru wasn't fooled. He knew that underneath that wooden table that separated them, Hiashi's fists were shaking with uncontrolled anger.

The Nara ninja shifted his weight to his right foot, uncomfortable with the situation of facing Hinata's father with this issue. Why him of all the people, and this early in the morning? "Hai, Hyuuga-san. Hokage-sama has postponed the search for your daughter and refuses to send anymore tracking teams."

Hiashi breathed deeply and Shikamaru closed his eyes, jaw tense. He knew it was coming in one, two-

"She's my daughter and the heiress of this clan! She must be found!" Hiashi's exclamation echoed throughout the room, losing all composure and activating his bloodline limit, making the veins coiling with chakra and fast circulation stand out against enraged silvery eyes. The clan head's sharp cheekbones and thigh, pressed mouth only added to his already intimidating glare, though the shadow manipulator appeared to be immune to it. "Hokage Tsunade has no power over clan matters, and my abducted daughter concerns this clan and myself, not her."

"I understand that, Hyuuga-san. However, it's illogical to send people when we don't have a clue as to where they might have gone," the brunette jonin tried to explain.

"Hyuuga Hinata must be found, and that's final," Hiashi stated, ignoring Shikamaru's words with such a glare the young man had to suppress a 'troublesome' comment.

Had it been anybody else, he or she would have bowed hastily and left Hiashi's presence, but Shikamaru merely sighed and rubbed the back of his neck in weariness and worry. Kurenai had said the same thing, except that she had gotten far more emotional and hysterical than Hinata's father. He had to literally drag her back to her house after she tried to go with her former tracking team to search for her student, regardless of the fact that Aburame Shino and Inuzuka Kiba had been hospitalized by the same people who had taken Hinata in the first place.

That troublesome woman.

"I understand what you're getting at, Hyuuga-san, but I can give no answers to your reclaims. Tsunade-sama added that if you wanted to discuss this matter, to visit the Hokage Tower. She'll be waiting for you there." With that said, Shikamaru performed a half-hearten bow and exited, not wanting to stay and deal with a very unhappy parent that could Gentle Fist him all across the Hyuuga compound.

Hiashi stood from his seat, veins retreating back to normal, leaving a blank face that was tense with anger. Abandoning the spilled tea and broken cup in his hand, he headed to exchange a few words with Senju Tsunade.

Hyuuga Hanabi stood pressed to the wall outside her father's office, her eyelashes wet with salty tears as she watched him leave from afar. Her body shook with contained emotion but she fought hard to stop her trembling, reminding herself that she was a Hyuuga and emotions were signs of weakness. She bit her lip hard until she couldn't feel it anymmore and mumbled, "Where are you...onesan?"

**XXXX**

A busty blonde, aware that an angry clan head would soon come her way, stared at the blanket of darkness beginning to lift from her village behind her office window. Dawn was near and she could make out a few civilians already up, as well as some genins running toward the training grounds, shoving buns into their mouths in their haste to be on time.

Her arms were crossed behind her back, her usual green coat lay discharged on her chair despite the morning's low temperature.

After the war, things had changed. A lot of things, to be precise. The destruction left by Nagato Pain had been indescribable. Everything had been uprooted from its place, houses, trees, stores, everything. Now, seeing the streetlamps turning off in the distance, going back to their temporary slumber, a part of her was content and pleased, if just a little.

Her village and the village of her processors was setting back in motion once again. Many had died to protect it and its people since its founding. And she, granddaughter of the First, grandniece of the Second, and student of the Third Hokage, was no different. By taking the title of Godaime Fire Shadow, she had sworn to do her best for citizens of Konoha, every single one of them, which brought her back to the matter at hand.

She sighed tiredly and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Hyuuga Hinata...your kidnapper better pray for his life when I find him. He's giving me a lot of paperwork and he'll be suffering for it," she murmured darkly, though truth to be told, this whole thing worried her. To be able to enter Konoha unnoticed by the security sensors and to fool the ninjas on patrol, plus taking out three jonins at the same time, leaving two of them in a critical state and taking the female of the team, who was none other than a Hyuuga with one of the three legendary dojutsus, was something to investigate and be on guard for.

And the bastard hadn't abducted just any Hyuuga, but had to go and get the heiress of Konoha's most powerful clan. The guy must have had a death wish, knowing how protective the Hyuuga's Main Branch was of their bloodline limit.

It had been a week since Aburame Shibi had found his son, his teammate, and a trained ninja dog bleeding from Raiton attacks, all of them close to the heart, just a few centimeters from touching the vital organ, though that didn't mean the current of electricity hadn't affected it. Tsunade wasn't stupid; she knew the person to blame for her shinobi's condition hadn't missed just because. Everything he'd done, even managing to evade Shino's bugs and gotten rid of the female one on Hinata, had presented a clear a warning to everyone who was smart enough to realize it was there. The attacker had let Kiba and Shino live, if only to carry out an unwelcome message.

For five days, teams of shinobi from the three tracking clans, the Inuzuka, the Aburame and the Hyuuga had been sent out. The unbreakable loyalty of the Inuzuka displayed not only inside their clan but for their friends as well was admirable; Tsunade had to give them that. The Aburame found it logical to search for a missing comrade in need, though the blonde Hokage presumed they wanted to know how their clan secret ninjutsus were fooled, not to mention how Shibi's wife, Mitsuki had reacted to her son's friend being kidnapped. As a matter of fact, the ex-Mist ANBU had requested a team of her own and encountering a mother, who was not only scary with all sorts of weapons but Suiton jutsus coming from the former Bloody Village Hidden in the Mist, was exhausting. The arguments she had brought to the blonde's attention had been interesting to say the least but Tsunade hadn't been convinced until Mitsuki had announced something that immediately made her change her mind. The Slug Princess had meditated on Mitsuki's words but had given her the go-ahead. For being a member of the Aburame clan, whom showed no emotion and stood stoic all the time, hidden behind clothes and dark glasses, Mitsuki was unique and surprising, not only in her attitude but in her appearance. Lacking the dark brown hair of the Aburame, she held her long white-blond hair in two buns with needles, which no doubt she used as weapons, and her dark chocolate brown eyes were big and expressive. Her attire consisted of kunoichi gear with a long black trench coat frayed at the ends with a high collar, though that did nothing to hide her beauty, even at the age of thirty-seven. She was clear and open about what she wanted and her presence called for immediate and undivided attention when she spoke. Instead of blending in with the background, she stood out and was regarded with respect when she showed up in town. Living in the woods as a house-wife and matriarch of her clan didn't leave her with much time to stroll through the village.

How she had ended up married to a rock named Shibi was beyond Tsunade.

She sighed. For one, Mitsuki certainly talked with fervor and directness. What surprised Tsunade was the urgency in which she demanded to be sent out with a team of her choice. She knew the Aburame woman was hiding something, or at least suspected she knew a detail she didn't but when questioned, Mitsuki had promised to explain everything once she returned.

Just thinking about her words and her motives for picking Uchiha Sasuke and Inuzuka Hana was giving Tsunade a headache. Letting the Uchiha go hadn't been an easy choice.

She was about to reach under her desk for a very deserved saucer of sake well aware that if Shizune got wind of her early drinking, she would be sermonized until noon, when her door was thrown open by none other than Hyuuga Hiashi, another parent she didn't want to deal with but was obligated to nonetheless. At least Tsume had been unusually calm (for her) once she knew of her boy's injuries.

Tsunade fought the urge to sigh again and groaned inwardly instead. Taking out her favorite beverage from its secret compartment, not caring if the founder of the ninja world himself was standing before her, she poured a glass of sake –forget the saucer – and a second shot for the man that was for sure furious.

"Stop giving me the death glare of termination and sit down, Hiashi." she barked, taking a seat behind her desk and swallowing her share of alcohol. She had a feeling she would soon need it.

"Hokage-sama," he began, ignoring the offered drink and chair, standing firm and proud, not a hair out of place, Tsunade noted. "I believe we have much to talk about."

"You got that right," she answered and finished sipping her sake. She watched him through narrowed amber eyes and sat back, arms crossed. "I _said_, sit down, Hiashi," she repeated. "This is going to take a while."

Hiashi complied, though not without showing his resistance and displeasure at having the blonde order him around.

"Shikamaru must have told you the news if you're here in my office, breathing fire down my neck, eh?"

"Indeed," Hiashi replied curtly."But I am not breathing fire down your neck or plotting something against you, if that's what you're worried about."

"Look, Hiashi. Things are more complicated that you think-"

"I'm the head of my clan don't tell me what to think," he intercepted coldly, his eyes hard.

Tsunade's own face settled on harsh features, pink lips tight, brows furrowed with menace. "Your clan members have been found dead, Hiashi. Seven of them, killed and found without their eyes. The Caged Bird seal got rid of the Byakugan at their time of death, but their eyeballs were taken out either way. The autopsies showed the same cause of death done by the same person. A person, who whether you like it or not, got pass your clan's defense. Whoever this ninja is knows too much about your fighting style and the abilities of the Byakugan not to mention how to disappear without the Inuzuka smelling him or the Aburame bugs tracking him. Three of Konoha's most respected clans, useless against him. Three of my jonin, my village's security, and seven of your clan, crushed, among them, your heir."

Hiashi's posture was still immobile, as if nothing in the world was bothering him, but his eyes, those walls that he always built around himself, were falling down quickly, and Tsunde was able to see, if just a little before he composed himself and set his facade back on, the anger and the impotence he was feeling. "Are you trying to insinuate that my daughter is dead?" he demanded.

Tsunade almost gave him a pitiful look but knew he wouldn't appreciate it. She looked away to the windowpane and at the first dim rays of light invaded her office, casting several long shadows. "Of course not, but," she added and turned her hard gaze back on him, "we must keep in mind that anything can happen."

"She's not dead," Hiashi proclaimed with so much conviction it was impossible not to believe him.

"You may be right, but to me, this situation is turning personal. This unknown ninja is targeting your family, first starting with normal branch members and then scaling up to the Main House's heiress. The fact that he killed each of your seven ninjas in different settings and at random dates indicate that he knows he can do it without a problem and is no afraid to show it," she continued when Hiashi said nothing. "This guy is playing a dangerous game, and if you know anything, the slightest clue of who it might be, you need to tell us."

"The Hyuuga have many enemies, even at times of peace," was what he said.

"But they have never been stupid enough to mess with Konoha, much less with an alliance between the Five Shinobi Villages on the line," she exclaimed, losing all patience. Hiashi's attitude was starting to irritate her. "The first kill was in September, wasn't it?" she questioned, although she already knew the answer.

Hiashi nodded once.

"It's October, Hiashi. A month. Seven ninjas killed in a month. Don't you find it strange?"

"Like I've said, the Hyuuga have enemies in every nation, which makes it a clan matter-"

"Don't give me bull, Hyuuga," Tsunade interrupted angrily, slamming her fist down on her desk. A hole the size of her fist appeared. There was nothing more than that absurd rule she wished she could veto. What the hell was her grandfather thinking when he came up with it? "The moment that bastard entered my village and attacked my shinobi was the day he became my problem also. He not only introduced his presence in your house but killed four of my guards, injured two of my best trackers of gravity, and decided to dare me with his stupid warnings. I'm not letting him get away with anything!"

"That is true. However, I believe the reason for your message with Nara-san had to do with stopping the teams looking for my daughter," Hiashi pointed out impatiently.

"Yes," she admitted, intertwining her fingers and placing her chin on them, settling back once again. "I stopped the search for her."

"Why is that?" he asked,looking directly at her, demanding. "It's been only a week. If I wish it, I could send members of my clan and look for her if Konoha refuses to cooperate," he said arrogantly, as if to say he had the power to do as he wished.

"But you won't," she injected, glaring at him.

"I beg your pardon, Hokage-sama?" he bit out through gritted teeth.

"You won't send anybody else, Hiashi. That's why I'm here discussing this with you. A sole team has gone after this 'person' and your daughter," she explained.

"A team?" he said slowly, as if the words tasted bad in his mouth. "We've sent several without results, among them my nephew's, what makes you think a single team will make the difference?"

Ignoring the icy tone in which the question was asked, Tsunade replied, unfazed, "Simple. Sending teams with abilities our adversary knows is stupid and counterproductive, a waste of resources and men. He would know how to attack them easily. The team I–"

"Tsunade-sama!" the door was slammed open a second time that morning. Shizune stepped into the room, her black eyes bigger than normal, her hair disheveled and gasping for breath as if she'd run in a hurry all the way to the office. Her eyes immediately searched for her mistress and when she found her sitting in her chair, she looked relieved, not noticing the bottle of sake in the Hokage's hand as the blonde got in ready position to pour yet again another glass of the sour drink she couldn't live without.

"Not now, Shizune. Can't you see I'm busy?" Tsunade exclaimed, lowering the bottle in exasperation. Couldn't people knock anymore?

"This is urgent, Tsunade-sama!" her apprentice and assistant protested.

"Not now," the blonde repeated, lifting the glass to her lips.

"But Tsunade-sama–"

"Shizune," Tsunade growled.

"It's from _the_ team, Tsunade-sama!"

Tsunade sputtered the liquid she had in her mouth and coughed violently, glad that at least she hadn't spray the clan head sitting across from her on the face, but by the murderous look he was giving her, he wanted to see her very much buried six feet underground for wetting his white robes.

"Why didn't you say so before?!" the blonde demanded, ignoring the black aura surrounding Hiashi and wiping her chin with the back of her hand.

"But Tsunade–"

"Give it to me!" she ordered, cutting her off.

"The hawk refuses to hand it over. It says Raven-san told him to give it to no one else but Senju Tsunade," Shizune informed her in a breath.

"And where is this hawk?" Tsunade questioned, piercing the brunette with her eyes.

"He's–" Shizune began to respond hastily and turned around to address the messenger only for a dark bullet-shaped bird to whiz pass her so close it ruffled her short black hair.

The small hawk flew in without a proper invitation and landed on Tsunade's desk, sharp claws digging into the wooden surface, and raised his small, black head to meet the blonde's expecting gaze. "Senju-san," he croaked and nodded in acknowledgment. Giving her his plumed back so she could take the scroll off its holster, Tsunade did as indicated without uttering a word and quickly undid the leather straps securing the message, holding it on her hands and about to liberate the red seal the way she was accustomed to do but paused when she realized it was a blood seal.

_Smart_, was all she thought before biting her thumb and running her fresh red blood across the kanji and symbols.

A small puff of smoke was released and the Hokage stood up from her seat, her eyes scrutinizing the contents of the scroll sent impatiently and hungrily, taking in every single detail with utmost care, frowning the whole time.

"Perhaps we should finish our conversation another time, Tsunade-s–"

"Hush!" she snarled and paid no mind to Hiashi's indignant reaction.

A moment of intense silence filled the office and no one dared to break it. Shizune stood by the door, awaiting instructions and sure enough, Tsunade rolled the scroll, shoved it into the haori of her kimono-like shirt and walked to the exit, yelling thunderously, "Shizune, head to the hospital and reunite a group of four capable medics at once! Have Hinata's blood type at hand and set up a surgery room."

Her attendant nodded, her face serious and walked away with purpose in her steps.

Hiashi's eyes widened and he felt like someone had hit him on the chest, ruined robes forgotten. "Hinata's–"

Before he could finish, Tsunade turned to him, honey eyes blazing. "You!" she pointed with her index finger and Hiashi couldn't help but right himself up in his seat, too taken aback by the tone of command in her voice to move. "Come with me, now!" Her eyes landed on the silent hawk and doubted for a minute before saying, "Dismissed!"

"Senju-san," the bronze hawk said and dispersed.

"I demand to know what's going on." Hiashi, finally coming out of his shock, followed the Hokage out of the office in a swift pace.

"It appears that _my single_ team had success," she said, her two low ponytails swinging behind her, the heels of her shoes clanking against the thick wooden floors of the stairs as she went down.

"Meaning..."

"Yes," she snapped without turning around. "Your daughter, Hyuuga Hinata, has returned."

**XXXX**

Yamanaka Ino was a medic. A professional and skilled medic ninja with the power to heal major wounds and a great source of aid in the surgery room.

She had seen her share of injuries, from low to high, open flesh and organs, screaming people, patients in intense pain and heart-wrenching wailing kids and adults at the point of hysteria. When doing her job, she remained serious and focused, because she knew the importance of a task well done. She knew the risks of not keeping her emotions in check. She knew better than to have something distract her from her job.

She had been well trained for years and knew exactly how to keep her features concealed with a mask of concentration. She had never put her patients in danger with her bubbly personality and endless talk in times of importance. When Ino crossed the entrance of the hospital, she was all business. She never backed down from helping anyone, no matter how stupid an injury was or if the guy in need of assistance decided to check her out instead of telling her what was bothering him while in an appointment. No. Flirting could definitely wait. Once in her station, she was a whole different person.

She had fought in the 4th Ninja war at the age of seventeen and seen a lot of blood and dead men.

With the years, the young blonde had forced the trauma of so many wounded people into the back of her mind though the images never left. Not really. Something like that never left you even if you were a kunoichi used and aware of death.

Yes, Yamanaka Ino knew how to keep her cool.

But not this time.

This time, it was different.

The operation barely finished when she couldn't take it anymore and fled out of the room without looking back and ignoring the questioning but worried looks Hyuuga Hiashi and Hyuuga Hanabi were giving her.

She had to get away. She just had to.

She took her mask and her plastic gloves off, shoving them into one of the waste shuttles attached to the wall and ran out of the hospital through the back door.

Once outdoors, she fell to her knees and covered her face with her hands, sobs rocketing her body and almost choking.

Two pair of footsteps followed her but she didn't noticed. She was too busy trying to calm down.

Her fingers shook and her skin was soon covered with goosebumps, her eyes shut tightly in a weak attempt to stop the tears from flowing.

She knew Hinata wouldn't like it if she got word of Ino crying for her but the blonde kunoichi couldn't help it.

The Yamanaka bit down a scream of horror and bowed her head.

"Ino..." Akamichi Choji whispered, eyes wide, as he and his best friend stared at their teammate on the ground.

Ino didn't respond.

Shikamaru looked grimly at the scene but decided not to comment.

Choji inched toward the blonde slowly; as if afraid she would go in a rampage if he got too close. Truth to be told, Ino was so unpredictable he sometimes didn't know what to do when the situation concerned her. He looked at the bento of salad in his hands and then at Shikamaru, whose mouth was set into a gray, flat line as he eyed the young woman on the dirt. Ino's mother had asked them to give Ino's forgotten breakfast to her at the hospital, but by the blonde's pale face and her ill-looking appearance, she wouldn't be eating anything soon.

"Ino," Shikamaru sighed and walked toward her along with Choji. Both men crouched to her level and waited until she was ready to speak. Knowing Ino, she would say what was on her mind without them prying it out of her.

When neither her shacking nor her sobs ceased, Choji began to rub her back soothingly and Shikamaru awkwardly put his hand on her shoulder in comfort and support.

Minutes later, she spoke softly. "They...they were all over her body," she sniffed. "_Everywhere_. Teeth marks, hand prints, bruises. Cuts. Her skin is naturally pale, but all the purple on it, and the blue, and the b-burns...it all looked so...s-so sick. So in-inhuman." She grabbed her head, as if it hurt. Her pretty face screwed up in a mask of pain just by remembering but then fury began to appear and she wailed. "Those _bastards_! They bit her, they touched her everywhere!" she screamed, slamming her fists on the ground. Choji jumped at the sudden raise of her voice but Shikamaru just observed her.

"They tortured her! They sliced her skin open little by little, and then they let her heal for a while and continued to do it again. They beat her endlessly. I'm going to kill them!" she swore only to sink lower to the ground, touching her forehead to the dirt, clenching her teeth together. "I'm going to kill them," she repeated.

Choji looked worriedly at her form with a bit of fear as he watched the morbid display and descriptions Ino was giving him. He wasn't a genius, but he knew what the young Yamanaka was getting at. A female patient of hers had been...had been...

He swallowed the bile in his throat and looked at Shikamaru for a plan on how to proceed with their friend.

"You won't do such thing, Ino," the pineapple haired jonin said lazily.

Blue glaring orbs settled on his face and Shikamaru would have backed down in another occasion if not for the fact that he knew exactly who she was talking about and the opponent she wanted to literally kill single-handed was out of her league. He had heard Tsunade yelling out instructions at Shizune that very morning in the Hokage Tower and her conversation with Hyuuga Hiashi as she stormed out of her office. No one else had been there to hear it, which was good, but having to now listen to Ino's words was making him feel ill. If Ino, who wasn't as close to Hinata as Neji and her teammates, was reacting like this, he didn't even want to see how Kurenai and the Hyuuga would take it.

**XXXX**

He was really wondering how in hell he managed to get into this sort of mission.

After leaving the Hyuuga, believing that he wouldn't see her again for a very long time, he headed into the Hokage's office, demanding a new mission.

The crazy blonde Hokage hadn't been there.

Tsking in irritation and scowling at the guards standing outside the building, Sasuke had made his way to the small cottage he called dwelling place instead of home far away from the center of the village and relaxed to pass the time. After taking a shower and eating lunch, he had sat on the couch and read.

That was the only thing besides eating and training that he mostly did on a daily basis when missions requiring his skills were scarce.

The damn dobe was on 'tour' in the Village Hidden in the Rocks, marking his training option off the list completely and he wouldn't consider the rest of 'Team Seven'. Kakashi and Sakura were below him in that area. They weren't that much of an adversary. No, the perfect match for him was off doing who knows what.

The idiot had been gone for three weeks now, and was due back any day starting tomorrow night.

Sasuke wondered how he would react to the news of the Hyuuga being hospitalized and recently kidnapped. He knew the old hag hadn't mentioned anything to the blond idiot just by the way he didn't come back, throwing everything out of the window and rushing back to his beloved village. The Hyuuga had become important to the dobe, though Sasuke was well aware of his motives for asking her to train with him. The Uchiha had known from the very beginning, and sadly for the Hyuuga, what the dobe felt towards her wasn't exactly love.

How tragic.

By the sad but accepting look she wore after their second spar, it was obvious she had realized the same thing the Sharingan wielder had, and had accepted it, though her appreciation and feelings for the whiskered knucklehead remained.

The Hyuuga girl really was weird, Sasuke had thought, not for the first time in his life.

And he was stuck with her. Until further notice.

He was starting to really, really, extremely hate this Hokage woman. She knew of his sleepless nights and knew that he could keep going in a mission for five days straight without getting an hour of sleep. It was crazy, no one should ever get so far without resting, except probably Gaara, but he was different; Sasuke hadn't carry a bloodthirsty demon inside of him since birth.

But he only had himself to blame for his predicament this time. He should have seen the trap Tsunade was walking him into. He should have seen it a mile off, but he hadn't, and here he was, watching over the tiny person known as Hyuuga Hinata.

She looked at peace, but also dead.

This was the third day he had been there and hadn't left, except for those times when another ANBU ninja would cover for him so he could eat, refresh at his place, and sit for a while, only to go back to his post a few hours later.

During the night, he would stay and blend with the darkness of the room. Visitors weren't allowed to go into the Hyuuga's room, at least not yet, and that was a relief. After witnessing the pathetic way in which a brunette with silver-colored eyes had broken at seeing her big sister laying on a bed like a frozen vegetable the first day, Sasuke had had enough of these scenes. The Hyuuga patriarch had kept his composure, if just barely.

Now only they could visit her, and no one else.

The Uchiha didn't know why after that visit neither of them had come back, but was glad they hadn't. That meant he didn't have to deal with them at all and could just sink into the silence that was occasionally interrupted by the machines wired to the girl who looked more like a porcelain doll than ever.

That was the only thing the room was drowned in.

Silence.

By the fourth day, the Hyuuga still remained asleep, her vitals still the same. The one and only difference was the nurse coming to take care of her throughout the day, sometimes taking it as far as coming to check on her at three in the morning. Apparently, visiting hours didn't apply to the workers.

Yamanaka Ino had begun to appear at least five times during her shift, always monitoring the Hyuuga's state, murmuring words of comfort and stories of her daily, dull life outside work to the unresponsive brunette. She would sometimes let a tear slip and then clean it away quickly, as if to hide her train of thought. When she ran out of mundane things to talk about, she would simply stare at the Hyuuga's face for a long time and look lost, like she didn't know how to act around the small girl anymore. Hmph, the Yamanaka had nothing else to do but to babble about unimportant matters and stare like a creeper.

Once, she reached out to touch the bandage around the Hyuuga's eyes, but had looked horrified and taken her arm back, as if it burned.

She had left hastily thereafter, as if she had been guilty of a terrible sin and couldn't stand to sit on the bed, so close to the causer of her regret.

Her constant visits irked him. Sometimes she wouldn't even step in. She would silently hover at the entrance, watching the Hyuuga's monitor for a while before she realized what she was doing and went away. She was so distracted with her patient she hadn't even noticed him in the room, standing quietly in the corner surrounded by genjutsu, but it didn't matter. The blonde fan girl was disturbing his work, and he didn't appreciate it.

That night, the Hyuuga began to respond, if only slightly. Her sharp intake of breath caught him off guard.

By the fifth day, she moved her fingers.

By noon, her breathing had become active, and the annoying Hokage had come to inspect her, taking the drugs to help her sleep off.

Hn. She had been on medicament the whole time?

An hour later, Yamanaka showed up, and started to cry at how sorry she was the Hyuuga was going through all of this and that she didn't deserve what _they_ had done to her. The blonde had thought the brunette was still out of it. When she left, closing the door softly behind her, the Hyuuga started to shake.

By midnight, she began to scream.

**XXXX**

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_**Many thanks to:**_

_**umnia for being my first reviewer and your enthusiasm for the story :p.**_

_**LadyCassie, for your kind words. BTW,I've read your stories, and I love them! You're one of my most appreciated authors!**_

_**kichisaburo**_

_**nikols**_

_**& last but not least, kyoru!**_

_**Also to those who favorited/followed! It was nice to see you took interest & I hope I didn't disappoint today!**_

*Latin vite meaning 'life'. I love Latin...teehee.

*Mitsuki's personality and background are BASED on the story _Team 8_ (great work, seriously. So worth reading it) so she's not completely mine, though she will not be the same. I have plans for her influence in the future.

**A/N: Chapter 1 done.** Nothing exciting. No sasuhina interactions (much) ._. I'm sowwy but I wanted to get the story background so you won't get confused with what's going on. You might think that the kidnapping thing is getting old, but my, my, will you get a surprise when I reach later chapters of the story. I seriously can't wait. So, just keep in mind I'll do my best to keep this story entertaining. Expect Chapter 2.

WARNING: This is going to be a Dark Romance fiction, mainly because I don't see as many of them as I'd like, and also because I'm in the mood, though I admit that writing an Insane Sasuke has been a creepy but interesting experience o_e. Right now, as I write a small part of chapter 2, I really am wondering if I'm becoming a sadist D:! I'm letting this Uchiha's imagination run wild! Okay, maybe it's MY imagination but...WHATEVER.

Enjoy, Review/Follow/Favorite and I'll make sure to update ASAP if you give me your support. Come on, you know you want me to upload soon, don't you?...

-September 22, 2013


	3. Chapter 2: Haunted

**XXXX**

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**Chapter 2:**

_Haunted_

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_I'm lost in this frightening reality_

_Of haunted dreams and bleeding hopes._

_The ghost of your past keep you alive..._

_Help me breathe and let me sink into your darkness,_

_Wrap your arms around me and we'll share each other's warmth._

_We'll fight the cold, we'll be one._

**.**

**XXXX**

Her presence calmed him.

She was lying on that white bed again, unmoving, her skin the unmistakable color of icy snow like the crisp sheets dropped over her body. They were so similar in shade it was almost hard to distinguish between what was her flesh and paper-thin covers.

She was so pale.

The placid tempo of her heart acted as a low tune that dared to lull him to sleep, but the lone Uchiha refused to close his eyelids and let his sinister dreams of childhood and adolescence haunt him.

He refused to lose his internal battle, and as it is quite expected of him, he prevailed.

His once emotionless onyx eyes, however, held a deep emotion that not even he himself could comprehend as they fell on her serene façade. Because he knew it was a lie, her unstressed face. Her marred skin was now fading, leaving slight traces of light yellow-green that weren't easy to spot but Sasuke knew that hidden underneath her hospital gown, there was more than just bruises.

After all, she had cried out loud the night before and her screams and wails of endless torture echoed throughout the building. So chilling and bloody were those cries that most of the patients had been jolted awake by them.

The Hyuuga had fought an adversary only she could see in her mind, and this led to an eerie possession that forced the nurses to come running into her room and inject her with drugs when she refused to wake up and stop trashing.

Several minutes after midnight, the terrified Hyuuga doll was replaced by a contradicting, blank doll without a scratch on its surface, the one that said everything was fine.

The one that lied, and slept, and breathed easily and sighed in her slumber.

The one that didn't move or scream but remanded still.

Sasuke hated it.

Now, the scene displayed outside the closed blinds of the room's window showed the day to be at its limit and the warning of dusk approaching was announced as the sun went down behind the hills.

A day of being forced to stay under a false sense of security has been cast over the tiny girl with black-blue tresses.

She looked so tranquil, calm, peaceful, all the things he wasn't but couldn't help but feel when she was near him. _She_, the real her, not this actress with her eyes bandaged and her deep, even breathing.

The effect she usually had on him only made Sasuke resent her even more than he already did in the start.

When they met, he was indifferent and cold, just like with the others. She was one more pest he had to bear as Naruto dragged him out of his cottage after wasting a year in prison and two under house-arrest.

She was not a fangirl, not an ex-fangirl, just a weird girl.

He could cope with that.

He would ignore her and she would ignore him.

That didn't happen. She had to go ahead and be kind and smile and blush and give him food. Didn't this girl know who he was, what he had done? Didn't she know that he had killed his brother and betrayed her village and had wanted to kill her and everyone she loved at one time, and sometimes still considered? Apparently not, and if she did, she didn't care.

Her attitude towards him angered the Uchiha. This wasn't how things were supposed to go, she was supposed to hate him so he could have the perfect excuse to hate her back wholeheartedly. What was this girl's problem?

But soon enough, the way she made him feel, as if he was just another normal person and not an ex-S-ranked national criminal, the way she looked at him with_ those. Damn. Eyes._

He felt forgiven.

Then he would come crashing down to reality, to him being a murderer and a traitor, and his anger would accumulate and then explode and he would hate her more and wish her death.

She was also a remainder. In her, he saw himself; the life he could have had, the person he would have become; the relief of not feeling guilt, regret, hatred. pain and sorrow every day.

In the first month of knowing her –or not knowing, more like being placed in the same spot at the same time all because of some idiot and karma – , he really tried to disregard her existence, to kick her out of his mind and forget about the petite form training seven meters away to the right as he sat, brooding and sometimes literally tied to a tree trunk. (That damn dobe.)

It didn't work.

She was always there, and when she wasn't, her scent decided to visit him and stay glued to his nostrils for days.

She had a nice smell, that strange girl.

The fragrance of soft vanilla and rosemary surrounded the Hyuuga, and no matter where she went, she always carried the same sweet scent.

Uchiha Sasuke disliked many things, and sweets was one of them.

But her smell was comforting and this notion infuriated him greatly.

Everything about her –her silky-looking hair, her plump, rosy lips, her lavender eyes, her shy smile, her pink-dusted cheeks and her personality – was torturing him slowly and she probably didn't even know it.

Screw that, she did _not_ know, otherwise she would have used the brain in her head and run away from him while he was still sane and she had the chance.

_She was a reminder. _

She was like his mother, polite, kind, caring.

_Warm_.

She shared the same charisma as Itachi.

The Hyuuga made him remember who he used to be before life decided to play sick jokes on him.

She haunted him without even trying.

Uchiha Sasuke hated to be reminded of his early life expecially when he had to stand in the corner of a hospital room and watch her, the source of his thoughts.

Naruto had tried to bring it up once, the things he saw while in Itachi's jutsu. Sasuke had feigned indifference and calm, but inside, a turmoil had awakened and took days to tame.

A decade later and he still couldn't erase that nightmare.

He was pathetic.

And he knew it.

Half-way through the third month, Sasuke meditated on the idea of giving in to the fight he was putting up, to destroy his walls, and to live the way Itachi had wanted him to, in peace. Sasuke was tired, tired of living the way he was. He was aware that if he told anybody about his thoughts, the idea of starting a new life would not be accepted or believed. Naruto, the orange clad idiot, might have trusted him.

That wasn't surprising. The dobe was too quick to trust, too gullible.

_Just like her. _

And like that, the idea was viciously destroyed.

He wasn't stupid, he had pondered on being a normal shinobi because she made him feel as if he was one.

It was her fault he wanted to change. It was absurd. He was Uchiha Sasuke, and he was an assassin and merciless. He wasn't going to change, not for her, not for anybody.

By the beginning of the fourth month, he made his displeasure and disdain toward the girl show and did nothing to deny it when asked.

One day, when the dobe was late for their training session, Sasuke took advantage, grabbed her by her small wrists, and pushed her against a tree, his katana's sharp blade kissing the skin at the neck and drawing the thinnest line of blood.

That's why he knew that purple didn't look as good as red against her skin, because he had seen it and had liked it. So some people in the village were right; Sasuke was a sick bastard. So what.

The Hyuuga had gasped, in shock of his actions or at the closeness of their bodies, he wasn't sure nor did he care. With her chin tilted back, she had exposed a good amount of bare, virgin white flesh demanding to be tasted, to be _touched_.

The mesh shirt she usually wore forced his wandering eyes to stop their exploration and direct them back to her face.

"I want you away from me, get it, Hyuuga?" he wanted to snarl but his words dried in his mouth.

She was biting her lower lip in nervousness and her light eyes kept on darting at the sides. A blush tainted her cheeks and Sasuke paused for a moment, lost in the image standing before him.

His eyes landed on her teeth nibbling on the now-red tender skin of her lip and he couldn't avoid thinking that if it were him doing that, he would have bite down hard until coppery droplets of crimson rolled onto his awaiting tongue and she moaned his name in ecstasy and without that annoying honorific.

The thought had shocked him more than the realization of the Hyuuga not being afraid of him. Instead, she was asking him if he could let go of her in her hushed, tiny voice, her words shacking but her eyes unwavering as she finally locked eyes with him.

Sasuke had let go of her wrists and removed his weapon from her throat quickly, as if he stayed in that position he would attain an incurable disease.

But it was too late.

The disease had already run its course and Sasuke was translated into a whole different madness when with her.

_She was dangerous._

He had wanted to laugh at the stupidity of that statement but had found it hard to when he realized that the little kunoichi at his mercy, was, in fact jeopardizing his state of mind.

Ironic, considering that he had a katana in his grasp and wouldn't hesitate to use it.

"I don't want you near me, Hyuuga," he bit out, the most intimidating glare he could muster on his features.

Hinata hadn't even blink. Instead, she had smiled and Sasuke's glare turned into an unsettling frown.

"I-I understand, Uchiha-san," she had whispered, her eyes softening as black eyes widened a third of an inch.

The girl was insane.

There couldn't be any other explication for her morbid responses.

She was malfunctioning and irrevocably nuts.

When he realized they weren't alone anymore, he looked up to find Naruto frozen to the spot fifteen or so feet away with his jaw hanging, blue cerulean eyes round with surprise and bewilderment at the peculiar scene he had come across.

Sasuke ignored the dobe and turned on his heel. Without a word, he walked away and has until this day never set foot on the the same training ground.

Naruto had confronted him later that day and demanded answers to his odd behavior with "someone as sweet and nice as Hinata-chan!" Sasuke had decided to be a jerk about it and lied his way out, though the fight that followed had made Tsunade yell them a lecture for an hour.

That had been three weeks ago.

The next day, the dobe had set off for Iwa.

Six days into October and the Hyuuga was taken.

A week later, he had found her in the Water Country.

She was different now, no longer the girl who smiled at everything she saw. He had witnessed that yesterday when she screamed at the nurses not to touch her.

The Hyuuga Hinata he had seen had never raise her voice above a quiet sentence.

The Hyuuga Hinata he had known hadn't feel torture and vile men until now.

He knew, though, that she wasn't broken yet. He could see it and knew without a doubt that the void had failed in swallowing her whole.

There was still a brightness within her that spoke of overcomes and strength, mental and physical alike, despite her display the night before.

He could witness the innocence trying to win a battle with reality. It was weak but fighting to stay. It was persistent.

But he would bring her down.

He would envelope her with his own darkness and drag her with him deep into his own horrors, to show her what this world was capable of, he would open her eyes and make her _see_. Besides, she had wanted to see, didn't she? She had been curious, he saw it in her eyes, she had wondered things about the young Uchiha and then look away.

Curiosity killed the cat, right?

Sasuke wasn't going to kill her, though. As much as he sometimes wanted to.

Sasuke's eyes, slowly morphing into the first stage of the Sharingan, traveled down her posture and form for a long time. Seeing her like this made her look so vulnerable and hopeless, more than usual.

She was defenseless.

He could just close the distance between them and take hold of he slender neck, snap it in two with a satisfying crack and no one, not her, would be able to stop him from sinking his fingers into her creamy flesh and apply pressure at the points desired.

It would all be over in a second, she wouldn't even feel the unbearable pain of broken bones.

Sasuke was a quick killer, a believer in getting the job done as quickly as possible, not taking chances when something was at stake or when a mission required him to act fast and end with the enemy's head hanging from his hand. Yes, killing silently and occult in the shadows was easier and efficient. Except, of course, if the bastards deserved a slow, pain-filled, miserable death. Now _that_ changed things.

But this Hyuuga girl was making him add another option to the short list.

Her delicate throat was really starting to call for his attention, but this time he couldn't spill blood and he wasn't pushing her against a tree trunk. This time she was laid before him like an unwarpped present, ready to be taken.

Without her headband to interrupt, that stuffy jacket, or her long locks hiding the area he was now observing, exposed to everyone and reflecting the lights sneaking through the windows, it was almost tempting, _too_ tempting, to do as his dark mind wanted, _craved_, to do.

Such a breakable thing, he mused, feeling the strong pull of blood-lust tugging at his senses. When had been the last time he'd enjoy the thought of killing, especially a woman? He didn't remember, though he would be lying if he said he hadn't want to snap at Sakura and Ino along with other girls for clinging to him throughout the years, loud and irritating, speaking of undying love and loyalty. That time when he almost succeed in taking Sakura out of the world, he had felt nothing close to remorse. Back then, after learning the truth behind Itachi's sacrifice, he had eyes only for blood. Preferably Konoha's.

This Hyuuga, however, was a different case.

It would be so simple to shatter her, to cause her pain. If he had the chance to kill her, he would do so slowly, taking his time without rushing, and would make the task of taking her life very, very enjoyable.

But he wouldn't. Kill her, that is. That would be too easy.

Sasuke did _not_ like easy.

To hear her plea for him to stop, for _U-uchiha-san _to _please s-stop it _with crystalline tears running down her face in panic and fear, her slight stutter making the words coming out of her mouth even more pleasant to the ear, would be all worth it for jeopardizing his freedom. To witness how those orbs of white pearl, so contrary to his own, stared at him, begged at him to release her, no trace of her genuine honesty left but an overpowering feeling of dread and terror, lips quivering and her soft voice crying for him to cease. She would try to get up from the floor where he had minutes ago thrown her, struggle even, but he would pin her down with his own weight and keep her still, watching in amusement at how his prey's midnight mane spilled down to the floor like satin, black snakes of soft hair touching the wood underneath the Uchiha man and the Hyuuga woman, brushing against a floor that had been washed with his parent's blood years before.

Yes, the Hyuuga would have made the first exception to his two rules of killing. Hers would be different. Very different.

Too bad her eyes were no longer in place. It would have been fun to see them fill with hate. Hate for him, an emotion he had learned the Hyuuga didn't associate with when Naruto and said girl trained together. She would come to know, hopefully, that life wasn't as good as some people made it out to be, especially her, and she would see and _feel _Insanity running through her veins, claiming her mind with each passing day. He had been blinded too in the past, and it had been something he would never forget, and the Hyuuga, so dependent on sight alone, would be unable to keep her self sane, albeit she was an oddity in the shinobi world. Maybe she'll surprise him once she gets out of that depressing stage?

He smirked behind his Raven mask and the action only widened when he saw the Hyuuga doll's finger twitch, regaining strength once again.

_You better not be broken yet, porcelain princess. If someone's going to crush that innocence you posses, it's going to be me and no one else. _

_It'll be me who breaks you._

XXX

Hyuuga Neji could hardly breathe.

He stared at his Uncle, his lips pressed together and his face blank, though he wanted to let his despair show.

"Surely...something can be done? Hyuuga eyes are powerful, and so is our blood," he said hushed, his fists on his lap as he sat in the Hyuuga's meeting room. Even though his words were strong, his voice was weak, breathless.

Hiashi glanced at him and then at the elders, his eyes unfeeling and flat. "Nothing can be done. Hinata's eyes cannot be placed back. She can no longer posses the Byakugan."

"A new heiress will be appointed," one of the elders said with a sigh. "It is a shame, but Hinata, after this, won't be able to keep her status as a kunoichi."

Neji lowered his eyes, still in a state of disbelief where Hinata was in her room, reading one of the Hyuuga's scroll or pressing flowers. Perhaps she was still training in the dojo of the compound, practicing her new jutsu, the one she had happily claimed to be almost ready to be shown to her father. She had looked so happy when all the elders had approved of her as a heiress. She had worked hard, she had bled, and fought since an early age.

She had tried to be a good leader for the Hyuuga. She had searched for loopholes for the Cursed Seal to remove it once she rose to power as the Hyuuga's head and unite her house, her family, her clansmen.

Now everything, every dream and hope and wish, was crashing down by the minute.

The work fo years, crumbling in two weeks.

"The Hyuuga taijutsu and ninjutsu won't be effective without our gekki kenkai. She, however, can still pass the gene –"

"No," Hiashi cut the elder at his right without so much as looking at him, for he knew where this conversation was going. "My daughter will be left alone. No marriage will be proposed to her. Not yet."

"Hiashi," a woman spoke, her eyes closed. "Hinata knew, from the day she received her title, that this would happen. An arranged marriage was to be expected."

"This is different," Hiashi spoke loud and clear. "This whole situation has come to a culmination point of importance, yes, but leave Hinata out of this. She has sacrificed enough."

"She has sacrificed nothing!" the second elder spoke, his eyes in slits. "It was taken from her by force. I knew she wouldn't be strong enough to keep our eyes safe."

"I would suggest to keep in mind that her eyes were obtained along with my daughter," Hiashi said coldly, directing a warning glare to everyone in the room. "The Byakugan is safe and is being guard zealously by all Konoha. Hokage Tsunade has decided to help." More like demanded to be let in with threats, but the elders didn't need to know that. "The fact that my daughter cannot wield the Byakugan does not mean she must be forced into marriage."

"But Hiashi-"

"I said no. Dismissed."

**XXX**

Her face felt heavy.

Everything felt heavy,to be honest. Cold.

Her muscles were locked and unresponsive. She tried to move her fingers, but to no avail. She couldn't feel them move, didn't register anything.

She entered in panic. Was she dead? Alive? In-between?

She wasn't sure, but she knew she didn't want to die. Not yet. She had so much left to do, to change, to live for.

She had to hang on, to grasp to anything, the smallest tread that could pull her into the light of the living.

She had lost track of time. Time was a lost, meaningless concept in the darkness she was hanging in.

Hyuuga Hinata tried to breathe deeply, to force her brain to respond.

And, to her surprise and delight, it did.

The first thing that came into her senses was medicine.

Strong and disgusting.

_Medicine_.

Her mind directly pictured the hospital.

Am I in a hospital? She thought, confused and unbalanced.

She didn't know what was going on nor where she was.

It was a very disorientating feeling.

She didn't want to smell the sick aroma of the death.

No. Not death.

She focused on this new-found power, the power of finding and distinguishing scents.

She could almost picture the stale, white room in which she probably was. Probably, since her mind could be praying tricks on her, just to keep her sanity in check. Safe.

She didn't feel warm, and oh, how she longed for a comforting source of heat.

She was so cold. Would she freeze? She didn't want to freeze.

She wanted warmth, desired it, craved it. She _needed_ it.

That's when she felt it, this odd sensation...

The hum of electricity. The power coiling in it, the _heat_.

Hinata felt her chest tighten.

_Yes! Heat!_

It was close, close by. Near.

But where?

She focused.

It was a reconfirming smell, that one of lightning. Like when heavenly fire scorched the wet terrain after a downpour. It was terrifying, powerful, warm.

She wanted it.

It was intertwined with fresh mint, a pleasant combination.

Hinata sank in into the darkness,holding on tight to the scent of lightning and fresh mint.

And this time, she was no longer cold.

**.**

**.**

**XXX**

**.**

**.**

Many imaginary cookies of appreciation to:

**umnia****, ****nikols****, ****LadyCassie****, ****Guest****, ****Francis****, ****Guest**** #2, ****kyoru****, ****sara96, ****&**** Darth Lelouch**! You guys rock!

As for your doubts...

*Hinata _had_ her eyes removed in the kidnapping, yes.

*Sasuke is a total jerk for a reason as you can clearly see now but there's still more to come. And some of you wanted to see Hinata's point of view, but you'll have to wait until Chapter 3 to see THE WHOLE THING. I'm sowwy. D;

*Hinata can't just simply put her eyes back. Her chakra system was destroyed in the eye area so even if she gets her Byakigan, it'll be useless and the optic nerve was highly damaged. Okay, not damaged, it was more like completely burn. Also, eye transplants are not as easy as they sound. As for what happens with the container holding her eyes, you'll find out in the next chapter. Teehee!

*Using Sasuke as an anchor...? Hehehe, I shouldn't ruin the surprises I have in store, now, should I? This is a dark romance fiction, so our dear Avenger will be a little passionate later on though. If you want, of course...If you want him as a sort of anchor, just ask.

*Yeah, I love Latin, but I don't find it hard since I'm fluent in Spanish and English and trust me, sara96, I got past my hate for grammar a few years back XD Instead of your teacher torturing you, why don't u torture her/him? :D

**A/N: Chapter 2 done.**

**I know what you're thinking: Who the hell gave Sasuke the authority to say 'Hinata belongs to my own personal darkness, only I can break her'? **

*tries not to look guilty as I hide behind some random curtains.

Gosh, you guys must think I'm some crazy teenager girl with suicide issues. You must all think I'm disturbed. Am I ruining Sasuke's character with this 'insanity' persona of his?

I need to know -_- Because this is for you guys and I would hate to write something you don't like.

This was a quick and short update because this week, I'll be. EXTREMELY. FREAKING. EFFING. BUSY. Expect more in the next chapter, though!

Anyway. Guilt ride me into publishing Chapter 3 early with thy beautiful words of wisdom in thy reviews? Lol.

**-September 28, 2013**


	4. Chapter 3: Insanity

XXXX

**.**

**Chapter 3:**

_**Insanity**_

**.**

**.**

**.**

"_It's true;_

_We're all a little insane."_

_-_Sweet Sacrifice_ by **Evanescence**_

.

.

XXXX

Ino took the three long strands of the now-dry midnight black tresses and pulled on them slightly, careful not to disturb the girl who slept soundly, though a part of her knew Hinata wouldn't wake. She had come in an hour or so ago to give her a bath, and had to get the brunette to the tub all by herself half-expecting to jolt her from slumber but to her surprise, Hinata remained still.

The Yamanaka over-crossed her fingers and secured the last piece of hair with soft strength and a purple rubber-band, finally concluding her work.

She laid it down over the other girl's thin shoulders and sat back, observing her handiwork.

With the Hyuuga jonin's hair now collected in a French braid and her little hands folded over her stomach, her bandages clean and her skin fading from an unhealthy blue-green to an equally unhealthy pure white, she could have made the perfect imitation of Snow White, the petite princess that had bitten into poisonous fruit with a smile full of gratitude and gentleness.

The blonde kunoichi sighed, eyebrows drawing into a worried frown. Hinata might have looked like the princess of the Hyuuga clan she was, but she would never be the same Hinata-chan everybody knew in Konoha, not after this, and that made Ino feel extremely sad.

She had come in this morning after doing her usual rounds, anxiously anticipating the end of her daily rounds so she could come and see how Hina was doing. She had been told her friend had attacked the nurses in charge of her when she woke up and tried to hit them, shouting at them not to touch her two nights ago as she struggled from an imaginary enemy.

To have heard those words from a valuable source had made Ino's stomach drop and her heart feel compressed.

The raven-haired girl was more of an angel than a warrior, this wasn't a surprise, but for Ino, angels were not supposed to suffer. They were meant to be untouched and unreachable, celestial beings that knew nothing of pain, but radiated happiness and brought comfort to those who needed it.

This wasn't the case.

The angel had now become a victim and her wings had been ripped without mercy from her back, each feather cruelly plucked out, creating incurable damage in the process.

Ino reached out slowly to brush Hinata's bangs from her bandages, careful not to touch her brows and eye-area, and parted them to the left, exposing her un-sealed forehead.

_Hina-chan went from cute, to beautiful, to enchanting,_ the blue-eyed girl thought in melancholy.

The twelve-year-old girl with big eyes and blushes had become a beautiful young woman to admire in the war, and after being trained to become head of her clan for the last year and a half, Hinata had enveloped an aura of gentle power with the same effects as the Gentle Fist; her power was a soft brush, but had anyone who came across it down to her feet, though the young brunette had been oblivious to the effect she had on people these days. But then, of course, in came Naruto and her slight stutter came back, as well as the blushes. At least she didn't faint anymore.

Ino lips turned upwards in a small smile and she sighed, the scent of rosemary and fresh sweetness in her nose.

Hyuuga Hanabi had come earlier the day before, a basket full of Hinata's usual shampoo and lotions in hand. She had given it to Ino personally and coolly added to not use any hospital soap on her sister. After that, she had left without visiting, her posture proud and straight.

Ino had stared after her for a moment, but had shrugged. Very well then, she would listen to the cheeky brat, if only because Hinata's shrubby mint overpowered by soft vanilla was heavenly and also because Ino wanted to keep something of Hinata intact.

She hadn't known her very well at the Academy, mostly because both of them had run in two different parties while young. Ino was the exuberant blonde with long hair and bright personality, Hinata the withdrawn, quiet Hyuuga with pale eyes and short ebony hair.

They were complete opposites in character and appearance but they were friends. Her soft smiles, her pink cheeks, her lovely, calm company were things that drew people to her when she was feeling confident and didn't try to fade back into the background. The Hyuuga heiress created a peaceful balance when they were together, unlike Ino's time with Sakura, in which they fought over nothing and everything, screaming at each other unceasingly, the only way they dealt with the friendly insults and comments. That was the bond the pinkette and the blonde carried since Sakura declared them rivals for Sasuke's affection and not much had changed now that the Uchiha was back. Sakura still seemed to love him but she no longer made it as apparent as before, when she was a pre-teen and squealed his name at the top of her lungs like Ino and countless of other girls. Both ninjas had matured, her and Sakura, but that didn't mean they had forgotten about their adoration for the ex-Avenger.

Ino could sometimes swear she felt his presence near, but that was silly. Uchiha Sasuke didn't leave his house for any reason, except when a certain blond Jinchuuriki dragged him out by force, and he wasn't enrolled in an ANBU squad since the village still didn't trust him that much yet, so he couldn't be one of the ANBU watching over the Hyuuga's safety. They hid their presence well, but Ino wasn't the heiress of a sensory clan for nothing, and had felt their thin, faint chakra. It had given her a headache when she pushed herself to look but she had to make sure nothing out of the ordinary happened when she was here in the room with Hinata.

The Hyuuga clan had taken precautions and only Tsunade-sama, Shizune-sempai, the four medics with her included, and some other ninja knew about the Hyuuga heiress being back in Konoha. Hyuuga Hiashi had demanded to classify the information for security measures and no one had opposed.

Out of the Rookie Nine, Ino was the only one who officially knew what was currently happening with Team 8. Kiba and Shino were still within the hospital's walls and the rest of their friends were well aware of that, but no one else knew Hinata was back. She had the suspicion that Shikamaru knew something but he wasn't letting her in on it. She had given up in bothering him about it and had decided to focus on Hina first and her lazy teammate later. Two members of Team 7 were in Konoha, Sakura doing her usual job and Sasuke probably locked up in his house (oh, how wrong she was), Naruto was who knows where in the Earth Country, oblivious to the situation at home.

Ino sighed, stood up from the chair beside the girl, began to take her temperature, and checked the monitors for any changes.

There were none.

She fixed the already-impeccable pillows and stretched the blanket when there was nothing else to do, brushing imaginary dust from the white sheets. Once she was done, she sat back on the chair and continued to watch her friend quietly. Hina's cheekbones were sharper, her cheeks a little sunk and her usually bright lips a waxy pink. Ino took one of her friend's thin wrists and intertwined her fingers with hers, feeling each tiny bone. A wave of unstoppable, hot-red anger crashed against her and she grounded her teeth, light blue eyes ablaze.

When she had switched to the morning shift a week and a half ago, she hadn't expected for her first patient of the day to be an unconscious Hyuuga Hinata. She had quickly snapped out of her shock when informed of internal bleeding, broken bones, concussions, and blood loss.

The state in which the next Hyuuga head was brought in had kept her awake for hours that night until exhaustion had submitted her into sleep, but the images of Hinata's bruised body, the jagged brusque cuts beneath her clothes and onto her skin, the teeth marks everywhere, and the prints of hands around her torso, stomach, back, and thighs where someone had touched her violently, kept on repeating themselves in the Yamanaka's head like an on-going video.

Hina had gone into starvation mode, Ino had found out the next day, and was therefore put to rest with medicine until the liquified nutrients feed to her through tubes reached her systems and stopped the brunette's intestines from eating themselves.

It was so unfair, that someone like Hina had to go not only through torture and the extraction of her Byakugan but starvation as well, perhaps maybe even rape –

Ino shook her head, lips pressed into a gray line. If that had really happened, and she knew the chances were high, then she'd be here for Hinata and wouldn't abandon her. It fell on her shoulders to accompany her, since no members of her family had come by and their friends were unaware of Hinata being in the hospital. She knew Neji had missions all the time, what with being in ANBU, but where the hell was he?! He was Hinata's protector and cousin, he should've been here!

She squeezed Hinata's hand softly, and didn't released her hold but began rubbing the other girl's tiny hands together for warmth. It was not the first time Ino wished the hospital weren't so cold and Hinata's petite form so...well, frighteningly _small_.

Hinata had grown up, just like everyone else, but it was her that changed the most out of the Konoha Twelve. The little, innocent girl had become a woman by sixteen.

Ino had seen her once in the thermal waters after training a few days before becoming a chunnin, trying to bandage her enormous bosom that would make every female jealous and every man drool, blushing and pressing her mouth in a thin line of frustration when the white cloth came undone. She had fluttered her lashes, containing her tears of helplessness and seeing the cause, Ino had stepped in to help her tie the gauze firmly around her torso.

Hinata had almost melted into a pool of goo out of embarrassment but had thanked Ino truthfully. But Ino wasn't done. Oh no. She had taken her hand and dragged the smaller girl into a girl's store to teach her what to buy to resolve her problem. After all, sports bras were wonderful things and Ino preferred to use those than bandages.

"_Why have you never used these instead?" Ino asked, raising a eyebrow in inquiry, a size C-cup chain-material bra held high above her head for inspection. "I think this might fit?" she wondered aloud to herself, ignoring the looks of two shinobi across the street who were looking into the store's window from Ino to Hinata and then to the brassier, smirking. _

_The Hyuuga heiress blushed at the item hanging from the Yamanaka's hand, averting her lavender eyes to anything but what was in front of her. This situation was utterly...humiliating. "I-I, well, I never had a-anyone to ask. My f-father and Neji-nii-san are men...they don't have, um, this kind of problem so I couldn't..." she trailed off but Ino nodded in understatement. _

"_What about your sister?" the blonde murmured, still observing the rack with scrutinizing blue eyes. _

"_She..." Hinata looked down at her covered chest, uncomfortable. She really didn't want to have this conversation. It was shameful. "S-she doesn't have m-my measurements. I'm r-really sorry to bother you, Ino-san," she apologized, staring at her feet this time. _

_The other girl waved her worries away. "It's okay, really, but please call me Ino."_

"_Ino...chan?" the shy girl tried tentatively, tapping a finger on her chin and looking at the blonde with big, doe-like eyes. _

_Ino smiled. Why the hell was this girl so kawaii?!"Yeah, whatever you want. Anywaaaay, it's not every day I get the chance to look for bras the size of melons," she snickered._

"_E-eh?!" the brunette squeaked like a little mouse, turning a very dangerous shade of the brightest red nature was capable of creating. Ino couldn't help but laugh at her friend's scandalized face._

_Her eyes twinkled with mischief and her grin grew as she chuckled. "Aww, Hinata, you're so cute when you're embarrassed."_

"_I-Ino-chan," Hinata tried to reproach but her shame was stronger than her indignity and she unconsciously pouted, making her look even cuter._

_Ino reached to pinch one crimson-apple cheek. "Come on! I'm just teasing you!" Hinata's shoulder relaxed slightly, only to tense when the blonde added, "Though Forehead's strawberries and my peaches don't come close to you at all..."_

"_I-I-Ino-chan!"_

**XXXX**

**.**

Sasuke was beginning to doubt the blonde's sanity.

Scratch that; he had always thought she was crazy anyway.

He eyed her with a raised eyebrow from his place in the corner encased in shadows and sighed to himself in irritation.

One minute, the Yamanaka is lost in thought, eyes glazed, and the next she's laughing and now she was sobbing?

This girl was really losing it if she had such mood swigs.

She wiped her tears away, and stood up, her long bang thrown to the side.

"I'll come back sometime tonight, all right, Hina?" she whispered hoarsely and cleaned her throat. After making sure everything was where it should be, the Yamanaka gave the unresponsive Hyuuga a last glance and a little 'see you' before closing the door and exiting the room.

About time.

Sasuke's genjutsu fell slowly and he made a face behind his mask, stretching his arms and squaring his shoulders.

He didn't want to admit it but he was tired.

Standing up for hours without moving, maintaining a jonin-level genjutsu, and sleeping for an hour each day or so was starting to catch up with his body, and that wasn't good. He couldn't wait for another ANBU to take his post and get away from the Hyuuga.

He directed his gaze to her with disdain but his glare had little effect when the person he was trying to intimidate didn't have eyes to see it.

"When will you wake?"

His only response was the light _tap_, _tap_ of water dripping outside and the hum of the machines.

Great. Now he was talking to the sleeping doll.

He needed a break.

His eyes hovered above her head, careful in not lingering on her face, as was his custom, something he had done unconsciously for a while until he was snapped out of inward atmosphere and scolded himself mentally.

It was outrageous, really. The girl wasn't doing anything to bother him, and yet...as calming as her presence was, he disliked being at peace.

Peace and the name Uchiha didn't go hand-in-hand and would never come close together. Itachi hadn't died in peace, as much as he made himself think he had. Itachi had gone through a cruel fate and died, leaving the only person he truly loved behind. He had smiled at the moment of his death, on both occasions, and Sasuke was able to see the pain and anguish behind his older brother's grin. Obito hadn't died in peace by any means. As for Madara...that psycho was gone, and if he'd died a second death without a single regret, Sasuke highly doubted the afterlife was serving him with the same courtesy.

Sasuke didn't deserve to be calm. Correction, Sasuke did NOT want –or needed – freedom from oppressive thoughts and emotions. He was a shinobi; he could control his turbulent states of mind just fine without being around the Hyuuga. He had done so since the age of eight, why stop now?

_Yes, and look how well that plan went._

Sasuke's eyes flashed at his inner voice.

He didn't need her. The Hyuuga was a burden, a mission he had to complete, a girl he had to put distance with, the dobe's friend, someone _warm_...

He felt his hands shake and curl into fists.

No.

He didn't need her at all.

She was just a weird girl.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Hyuuga Hinata was no one.

Before his replacement so much as stepped into the room an hour later, Uchiha Sasuke was gone.

**XXXX**

**.**

Inuzuka Kiba glared at the white ceiling of his hospital room, as if by glowering at it with all his might his mere will would eventually destroy the entire care unit and give him a good excuse to leave, his injuries be damned.

The bland ceiling stared back mockingly.

The brunette growled.

He hated hospitals with such a passion the sun wasn't potent enough to compare to his rage. The redolent smells of disinfectants and anesthesia floating around freely with no restrain was considered strong for normal people, disgusting and unwanted. For a member of the Inuzuka clan, this was the ultimate punishment of a life-time.

Kiba wasn't in a good mood. He wanted to go out. There was a reason why the Inuzuka lived in the outskirts of town and in the forests and everyone knew about it, except, apparently, the damn doctors in this bloody place.

Staying in bed with nothing to do left you with a lot of time to do some calm thinking.

Kiba's thoughts were anything but cute rainbows and bright sunshine.

He was worried sick, absolutely furious, and pathetically helpless.

There was nothing he hated more than to be impotent in the face of an obstacle or when someone you held close to your heart was captured and perhaps even dead.

_Hinata_.

A mental imagine of a faceless individual without a scent, without even a detectable life force throwing his teammate to the ground and banging her skull to a rock while his eyes became hazy at the corners appeared in his head, and his fists clenched until his nails bit so deep into his skin he bleed.

He tried to get up again, but his efforts were useless.

_I need to get out of here._

He cursed out loud repeatedly, releasing his contained rage and trashing under the chakra restrains tidying him down to the cursed bed. Why wasn't the Hokage letting him go and search for 'Nata?! Didn't she know Hinata was in danger?! He was the best ninja equipped to bring her back, he knew how to track her, she was his teammate, why weren't the Hokage and the elders letting him go?!

Those bastards! Didn't they know she could be dead? What if it was too late?

He stilled at the thought, his veins ice cold with dread for even considering the possibility.

No, Hinata-chan wasn't dead.

She couldn't be. He would have known.

Righ?

"DAMN IT!" he roared when the last of his strength was sucked out. " You bastards, I know you're listening to me! Let go of me already!"

When there was no response, Kiba resumed with his colorful use of words and snarled at no one in particular.

"Kiba."

The Inuzuka male ignored the person to his left. He really wasn't up to another argument with _him_.

"Your mindless actions will be of no help to us. Why? Because –" Aburame Shino began only to be cut off by his brunette friend, whom had had enough.

"Oh yeah?!" he exploded. "Well, what do you suggest we do? Stay here and sleep while 'Nata is who knows where with that son of a bit –"

"Language, Kiba."

"–ch?! Is that your magnificent plan, bug boy?! Because I don't think it's working very well!"

"What is going on in here?!" a third voice demanded.

Haruno Sakura stepped into the room, her eyes hard, her pink eyebrows turned down in a scowl. "Kiba!" she yelled. "What the hell is wrong with you? I can hear you all the way to the east wing!"

"Good!" Kiba snapped back. "That way your stupid sempais will get me out of here for being so noisy! Tell those bastards to release me, Sakura!"

"The only thing I'm going to do is to knock you out if you keep this behavior up!" the pink-haired medic replied harshly. "Tsunade-sama has gotten many complains about you since you woke up!"

"Then take this damn belts off me and I'll be on my way home. I won't bother you then!" he replied, teeth bared.

"Kiba –"

"I don't want to hear it, Sakura," he cut her off and a vein throbbed on the girl's forehead. "Where is Hinata?" he questioned, his voice low with warning but his eyes full of despair.

Shino, who was about to speak up and stop the brunette from snapping at the medic so rudely, closed his mouth and directed his glasses-covered eyes to the Haruno, whose face softened into a grim purse of lips.

She looked away, not able to maintain the pressure of both male's eyes on her.

"I...I don't know," she admitted after a moment of silence.

Kiba's wild features turned dangerously harsh, and his eyes darkened, the glint of playfulness he exhibited to everyone gone. "Next time, don't you dare ask me what's wrong with me when the answer is obvious."

"Kiba, you shouldn't talk to Sakura-san like that," Shino said sternly.

"Does Naruto know?" Kiba ignored the Aburame and continued. "How many teams have gone after the imbecile that took her, eh? Have they found anything?"

"Kiba –" The pinkette was beginning to regret her decision of stepping into the room.

"Does Naruto know?" he repeated.

Sakura frowned. "I don't know."

"You don't know, you don't know! Let me out of here and I'll find out for you. What do you say?" he proposed sarcastically.

"Look, Kiba, I understand that you're mad but your words are not helping Hinata –"

"Oh, so now I'm the one who isn't helping my teammate, is that right?! Well, I got news for you; it's not because I don't want to –"

"Inuzuka Kiba, that's enough," Ino intercepted from the doorway, though Kiba, being laid down in the bed had no way of seeing her.

"What do you want, Ino? Go and mind your own business," he barked, narrowing his eyes in irritation.

Ino bit back the insult dancing at the tip of her tongue and kept her mouth shut instead, trying to calm down. She wasn't liking the way this guy was speaking to her or her friend but she understood why he was acting like this. Nonetheless, that didn't give him the right to yell at them.

"We may not know where Hina-chan is, but have faith in her. Hinata-chan is strong." She walked toward the pinkette and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Don't lash at us with your anger, Kiba. We don't deserve it."

"But 'Nata deserves what's happening to her?!"

"I never said that," she cried, standing directly above him with her fists on her hips. "Listen to me, Kiba. If you calm down and behave, I'll talk to Tsunade-sama and convince her in sending you with the next tracking team, but if you don't do as I say, I'll let Sakura knock you out and you won't see the light of the sun in a whole week. Hear me?"

Kiba froze suddenly, his dark eyes widening.

Ino took his expression as an affirmative and crossed her arms over her chest to radiate confidence but inwardly, she hoped he hadn't smell her lie.

Kiba had smelled something, but it wasn't Ino's deception.

He sneaked a tiny trail of chakra to his nose, managing to tune down his wince of pain as the chakra restrainers reacted to his struggle, and sniffed.

He laid still, his mouth parted in surprise and...immense relief.

His heart skipped a beat and he felt warmth behind his eyes.

Could it...?

"I-Ino," he whispered.

The blonde, who was about to walk out with Sakura, turned back to him, a confused look adorning her face.

"Can you come here?"

Stunned by the odd request, Ino did as she was told and blinked down at the Inuzuka who had a wavering grin plastered on his lips. "Do...do you need anything?" she asked hesitantly. Was this guy bipolar, or something?

Kiba sniffed again in reply, and bit down on lower part of her loose white uniform, dragging her to him unexpectedly.

The girl gasped. "What do you think you're doing?!"

She was about to swat him away, but before she could, Kiba released her, chuckling like a madman. Ino stared down at him with wide eyes. She looked over at Sakura who was watching with the same face of disbelief and surprise.

"Rosemary and vanilla," Kiba exclaimed happily, making the girls jump. He turned to Shino, whose eyebrows had rose over his dark shades in silent inquiry. Kiba laughed breathlessly. "It's rosemary, man! With vanilla! And it's fresh!"

Shino seemed to go still, catching on to the Inuzuka's meaning and his face melted in understatement.

Both males in Team 8 smiled, Kiba a full-on grin and Shino a small, almost microscopic smile.

They centered on the unsuspecting blonde and the Aburame thought that perhaps Kiba's illogical behavior wasn't such a bad thing after all.

**XXXX**

He snatched his arm back, not looking at the person who had wanted to reach out to him.

_He hated to be touched._

"Teme."

The dobe was back.

"Sasuke-kun..."

Wait, what was she doing here?

Sasuke didn't open his eyes but he could feel them there, looking at him with worried, anxious eyes.

He really wasn't up to listen to their endless rants. He wanted to be alone. Wasn't the locked door giving out a clear message? Wasn't his choice of staying far from the local population hinting that, perhaps, just maybe, he wanted to be left _alone_? As in, just him and no one else?

He had felt two presences coming his way, but he hadn't bother to check if they were the occasional ANBU checking up on him or some random shinobi venturing into the woods, though that was unlikely.

It was raining. It was cold. It was lonely. It was dark.

No moron, no matter how idiotic, just went for a stroll late at night during a thunderstorm and went through his door, uninvited, and turned out to be a random ninja.

Sasuke hadn't care for his teammates' unwanted company, so he hadn't bother to connect their chakra signatures, although the dobe's was hard to misplace, even if the Uchiha had tried to disregard it.

He should have known it was going to be them.

But he hadn't want them here so he had given the darkness free reign over his thoughts.

He was tired.

He wanted to sleep without nightmares and not wake up to see ghosts surrounding him, picturing what could never be and rewinding a past he had no desire to unfold.

He was angry because he couldn't close his bloodshot-ed eyes, because the silence in the cottage was alive and had a very ugly face and wanted to speak to him.

Why was _it_ annoying him this much? He had lived in silence. Silence had been his company since he was a child. He was used to it.

This silence, however, was sinister. It wanted to eat him, it wanted to break him and see him down on the ground. It wanted him useless and shattered.

It wanted to cause despair, it wanted him to _suffer_ and _remember_ and _know_ and _regret_.

This silence's single goal was to destroy him.

And, as disgraceful as reality was, Uchiha Sasuke had let the silence win this battle.

Just this once.

He was too tired to care and his mind was already striding through the shadows of death and gloom, what was the problem with adding more hatred to the black fire, right?

"What the hell do you think you're doing, teme?" Naruto asked, voice eerily calm. Hn, the dobe was serious, then.

Sasuke did not reply, he just sat on the corner of the room, his knees drawn to his chest, his elbows resting nonchalantly on them, dripping knuckles leaving puddles of his black blood on the wooden floor.

Even the once-hot liquid was cold.

It ran down from the ripped muscles of his shoulders down to his raw wrists and calloused fingers.

Blood was a very sticky thing, the Uchiha noticed, or maybe it was sweat?

He wasn't sure. He didn't really care, either.

A hand reached out for him again but Sasuke was already on his feet, his Sharingan activated on instinct and glaring at the female offender, who quickly stepped back.

"Don't touch me," he seethed, his eyes bright and menacing.

"Sasuke..." Now the blond was using his first name? The dobe was really serious. "What happened? Why is your furniture broken? Why are you bleeding? What did you do?"

Questions, all of them. Sasuke decided he wasn't going to answer them.

"Leave."

Sakura flinched at the brutal command and her green eyes dulled, hurt. Naruto was another case. His azure eyes went from intense blue to cobalt in an instant and he stood his ground.

"What did you do now, Sasuke?"

The Uchiha headed for the stairs, brushing the interrogation the dobe himself had begun aside.

"Where are you going? I'm not done with you yet!" the blond shinobi said and hurried after him, Sakura close behind, calling his name out in worry.

Sasuke continued on his way up until he reached his bedroom. He closed the door loudly, hoping they would simple disappear and grabbed his discharged ANBU gear from its place on the bed to put it back on.

The door was kicked open just as he strapped his katana to his back.

"You're not going anywhere until you answer me, Sasuke!"

"I have a mission," the brunette answered tonelessly and waited for Naruto to move from the doorway.

The orange ninja was either not getting the program or he had a death wish because he did no such thing. However, he did pause.

"A mission?" the Jincuuriki fixed the Uchiha with a confused look as his eyes ran over the ANBU uniform and animal mask. His eyes widened and he pointed at Sasuke. "The hell? Since when are you in ANBU?!"

"Since you left. Now get out of my way, Naruto."

"At least let me heal you, Sasuke-kun," Sakura offered, her hands already glowing with green chakra.

"No."

"Sasuke!"

"I said no."

"But –"

"I've got to go. I'm running late." Big lie, but they didn't need to know that.

"But your wounds –"

"Are fine," he cut Sakura off. "I don't need you to baby-sit me. Now, get out of my house and leave me alone."

**XXXX**

**.**

The only word that could explain what he was feeling was relief but he refused to acknowledge it.

She was there, still breathing in and out, the silence around her calm and pure.

Why?

Why was this silence different? Why her?!

He didn't need her.

Uchiha Sasuke didn't need Hyuuga Hinata. It was that simple.

She was his opposite. Kind, warm, graceful, awkward, innocent, humble and bright. She was a child of the sun, just like her name described her to be.

He was rude, cold, indifferent, and tainted with reality. A traitor, heartless, a very arrogant bastard.

He was losing his sanity. He really was. Not much of a surprise. Many ninja in Konoha had expected it, he was sure. After all, a criminal with a past like his would never be free of it, no matter how fast or how far he ran. His memories and his sins were just a step behind, tormenting, screaming, reminding him.

Sasuke stood over the small indigo-haired Hyuuga princess and seethed and cursed her existence and tried to deny that her company was desired.

She was the light chasing the darkness from his surroundings, something he had lacked and was now seeing.

He didn't want it. He didn't want _her_.

"What do you want from me, Hyuuga?" he growled. "What do you want from me?!"

His sleep-deprived state was the only source of reason that could excuse his thoughts and actions. The ache in his body, result of the endless training hours he pushed it through in private, wasn't enough to knock him out anymore. Sedatives were nothing more than just unworkable white pills resting on his night-table.

Insanity was once again trying to take over, to posses him and make him lose all sort of control.

The girl dressed in a hospital robe was driving the madness away.

What was she? She was fragile-looking, small for her age, childishly innocent.

So much in fact that it sickened him.

And yet, here he was.

The sharp sting in his flesh didn't make him flinch, but it still sent vibrations of pain to his brain. Perhaps he'd hit his furnished too hard. His chakra was drained, otherwise he would have use chidori or any other technique able to cause chaos in his moment ofweakness back in the cottage.

The weary Uchiha, too weak to perform his genjutsu, fell on the chair the Yamanaka used when she came by and stared, just like the creeper he had accused the blonde to be in the first week.

He took her in, the Hyuuga girl with her weird attitude and unique persona, the unsunned snow color of her skin, the rise and fall of her chest, the thinner heart-shaped face, the long cascade of hair in some styled braid, her folded hands, her vulnerability.

Sasuke's eyes began to close by their own accord but the Uchiha put up a fight.

No. He didn't want to sleep. He didn't want to dream, to feel. Being unable to sense would have been so much better. No pain, sorrow or grief. Nothing but a lovely, seductive darkness.

His shoulders relaxed and his throbbing arms went limp on his knees. He felt himself falling and the last thing he saw before everything evaporated into oblivion was the full lips of Hyuuga Hinata.

**.**

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**XXXX**

**A/N: **

**Chapter 3 done.**

I was going to write what happened to Hinata's Byakugan and her POV but...The chapter was getting too long for it. Plus, I had to give you guys an outlook of the Konoha 12. I didn't want to leave Sasuke out so I wrote more of him that I was going to, but it all worked out, ne? Hinata's view of the story was typed buuuuut, like I said, the chapter was getting close to 8,000 so yeah. Had to cut it. But don't worry! I'm working on chapter 4 right now, and guess what? Hinata will be awake! How will she react to her situation, you may wonder? I'm thinking of updating the following chapter this weekend :D Stay tune to find out. After 20K words, the action and character development is starting!

If you're new to this story...FOLLOW/FAVORITE/REVIEW!

**P.S: If you Favoring, click Follow as well. Emails for new chapters posted are no longer sent so you won't be getting notifications if you are Favoring. **

**Thanks to:**

**xxYou-shall-be-my-Squishyxx, FearaNightmare, Kibachow, Darth Lelouch, LadyCassie, umnia, nikols, Duchess23, Bottomless Pit of EMOTIONS**!,**& SONE! **

You guys make me cry of happiness :'D. I love it when you say you love this story and my style of writing (with grammatical mistakes and all, you like it, and I'm glad x). English is not my first language anyway lolol ).Wow, I was surprised you all liked the Sasuke I'm writing about. o_o Has anybody ever said you guys are INSANE?! D: XD Kidding. You're awesome. Bmwhehe.

**Doubts and comments: **

* Our beloved Uchiha spent one year in prison and two months under house arrest, yes, though I know I made a slip (more than one) in the last chapter. Tehee.

*Sasuke is not exactly in love, I like to call it the beginning of a **BEAUTIFUL** LOVE STORY.

Joking.

This is merely a start but Sasuke hasn't fall just yet. I believe it would take away some of the fun if he had and our cold-hearted Uchiha wouldn't be in love in just four months, now would he...? I want this to be realistic, so yup, yup. Expect some sadistic fluffiness along the way (aka passion and obsession).

*I have something in mind for Hinata but I won't tell you what just yet. That'd ruin the surprise.

*I can't believe my words bring tears to your eyes *gives away a box of Kleenex to each of the mourning readers. I think I'm going to spill some of my own as well if you post reviews every chance you get. Hehe.

*You commented on lightning not representing Sasuke enough, that his new powers with Amaterasu are greater. I agree, but I can't have him smelling like ashes and sulfur XD That's sorta...unattractive, ne?

*The reactions of the former Genin with Sasuke's sadistic love...FUFUFUFUFU, I can't wait to write those, actually, so keep up with the story :D

*I'm glad this is the SasuHina story you've been looking for. Makes me feel special :D Truth is, I saw a few good SasuHina stories (_Paint With Words_, _Stronger_, _Softer_, _Ikigai_, _A Traitor Branded_, you name it) and fell in love with them, so here I am! Doing my own and hoping for the best outcome. My main villain will be different from the ones in those stories (no Itachi, no random guy wanting to marry Hinata by force, no Kabuto) and the twisted turns I have prepared better be good in your opinion, otherwise I'll kick myself (mentally). On the other hand, when you met said villian, I bet your jaw will go slack!

*As you see, Naruto is back! But how will he react to the news and the Hokage keeping them from him is...not for you to read just yet. D:

-Sunday October 6, 2013

-Published 10/25/13


	5. Chapter 4: Silence

XXXX

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Chapter 4:

Silence

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.

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"_Lost in this darkness_

_Hoping for a sign_

_Instead there's only silence_

_Can't you hear me scream?"_

_-_Somewhere_ by **Within Temptation**_

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XXXX

Dreams were a very complex thing.

Every single detail, occurrence, or thought couldn't be trusted while in a state of slumber. Everything just got interwoven like dark vines between reality and fantasy, thus diminishing the possibility of events being true or false.

All the sensations and responses the human mind could provide were affected when the brain thought its owner was in danger. The pulse of the individual accelerated frantically, shivers ran down corpse-like bodies and one would close her eyes to avoid falling into a well of pure blackness.

In dreams, a person wasn't in control.

Hinata could support that fact.

Sometimes, she thought she was awake but she couldn't be sure, she couldn't see her surroundings but only feel the cool air caressing her exposed skin with invisible fingers.

Her mind was often confused, unadapted. To her knowledge, she was still lost in an icy sea of uniform shapes.

Sometimes, her sense of smell and hearing would come to her in random waves without a pattern and she would try to focus and make sense of what was happening. The urge to find out where she was and with who was strong, almost to the point of hysteria due to an unknown reason. She didn't remember much but she knew that something cruel awaited for her. Her mind had turned against her, in many ways, and drawing incomplete thoughts was one of them. Flashes of color, fragments of conversations, shrill cries, and cold nights were often brought to remembrance. The source of their existence? She did not know.

The few options she had was to wait and make her mind wake up from its floating state, claim her memories, and break away from this made-up prison.

The smell of lightning was often faint when she had the opportunity to search for it and once it was found, she felt her body –wherever it may be and in those rare times in which she felt a limb or two – fall back into a warm, hazy zone, but the moment it vanished, her link to the outside world did as well. She panicked, then, because she needed a grip to help her feel heat and to reassure herself that she was alive and that her long-term swim in which she couldn't lift a single muscle could only be within her being..

The feeling of being paralyzed was frightening and the only conclusion she could drawn was that she was in the Limbo. Because, to be honest with herself, everything she saw was darkness. With her eyes open or closed, there was nothing but a dark board without writing, without chalk dusting its surface and offering her a sign. It was as if everything had suddenly vanished and only a diminutive part of her own self was left, retrained and secure in a pit of endless cold black.

Hinata didn't like it. The cold, the loneliness, the despair, all of it. It made her want to cry for all of the people who felt it and her heart hurt for them, because she couldn't erase their pain and she couldn't be with all of them. Because it was unfair. Because it cut deeply.

Those things reminded her of someone, someone she had seen and met and whom could be the synonym of Darkness and Misery in the flesh. She didn't remember his name, but she knew it was a male. A man. Onyx-colored eyes appeared through her slow processing thoughts and she focused on them to pull herself into consciousness this time. It was the only way she could feel as if she was up and away from her own world decorated in obsidian when the smell of mint and electric power was absent.

It had worked before when she heard a female voice speaking to her and some sense of stability had come from it, appeasing her. The voice was familiar and foreign at the same time, and Hinata would try to place her in a category of foe or friend when she had enough strength to get herself out of the cavern she dwelt in. By the warmth the person talking gave off, Hinata realized that she meant no harm. She would listen, then, and allow the quiet, soft voice of this unknown individual to wash over her .She wouldn't hear complete words. No, they were mostly gibberish and white noise with no real meaning behind them, but it was a welcome change. Listening was comforting.

One could only live in silence for so long and not go completely mad.

Once her audio had charged completely and her mind had felt clearer than she ever remembered feeling, she heard the female cry and her following words disturbed her.

The voice had said _they_.

They had done something unforgivable.

Who were 'they'?

Then her mind shoved image after image into her head and she realized exactly what the voice meant, and her body had reacted on its own and shook and shivered and felt dirty, unclean, and violated.

And then nothing.

She was out again and into her painted world of misery.

Some time later, she really couldn't say how much, she dreamed.

It was terrifying, knowing what he had done to her. She knew it was more than one person around her, touching her, but the presence she remembered the most was so cold it burned her skin right off, his voice rough and raspy and his hands disgusting and sick. She feared this man but she could never see his face.

She didn't want to see it, the face, she didn't wish to recall it. She didn't want to know.

She didn't want to remember.

The mere thought sent her mind in a chaotic tsunami where everything shattered and her rage, an emotion she had never felt so strongly, demolished everything that caused her harm and she would scream at the skies, to ask, to beg, demanding to know the. _Reason. __**WHY**__?! _

It left her gasping and trashing violently to be set free and she felt her throat burn. Distantly, she heard blood-curling screams. It took her a while to realize they were coming from her and that they were the reason why her throat ached with iron-melting fire. When she bolted upright, everything hurt, every tissues, cell, and muscle protested and pulsed in pain. She heard the rush of footsteps and a bang but she couldn't be sure. She was still screaming.

Someone grabbed her, tried to push her down from her sitting position, and something in her snapped.

She had lashed out to the doer of her pain, to whomever dared to touch her. She didn't want anyone to come near, she needed space, she needed to be far, far away.

"Don't touch me!" she had screeched, something she didn't remember doing in the past but she didn't pay it any mind. She was too busy trying to protect herself. She was disgusting, she couldn't bear to be touched, to be felt. The contact skin-to-skin was agonizing, it killed her. "DONT TOUCH ME!"

She could still hear the echoes bouncing back, tormenting her. Mocking her.

Soon after she had hit something and heard a breathless huff, she felt a needle penetrate her skin, and she was out of reality and into her own jail once again.

And right now?

Now she only felt repulsed. Sick. Nauseated.

Her strength slowly came sipping in and she clutched some kind of thin cloth in her fist, slender fingers wrapping around it tightly. The urge to scream and cry hit her like a physical blow but she resisted. No, no,no. She wouldn't do an outburst.

What if they were watching? She wasn't going to give _him_ the satisfaction of hearing her cry.

Hinata contained her tears but she still trembled.

The air was cold, just like in the place they had taken her but not moist and sticky. Was she still there? If so, why was everything black again? She remembered a dim lit room where shadows flickered in and out of sight, playing and dancing to their own silent melody, but now her surroundings were pitch black and no undertone of gray was detected.

Where was the owner of the soft voice that she often heard? Was she captured too, like herself?

A loud noise made her train of thought crash.

"'Nata!"

Her heartbeat stopped and she took in a sharp breath.

"Let me go, bastards! I _said_, let go!" The piercing sound of glass breaking made her flinch in dread. "I know she's in there, I smell her!"

"Please, allow us to see her," a calm voice requested and murmurs could be heard.

"Inuzuka Kiba! What the hell do you think you're doing here, eh? Didn't I tell you to stay put, idiot? And you should be ashamed, Shino! You let him out of the straps, didn't you?"

The female voice had returned, and with her, a heavy relief that left her breathless and with the urge to cry, but for a whole difference reason that didn't concern grief.

Hinata's chest tightened and she felt the flaming-hot drops of salt spill down her cheek, damping something, a cloth?, that obscured her eyes. .

She knew those voices. The female...she knew her. How could she not have noticed the familiarity in it before? And the others...

Kiba-kun.

Shino-kun.

The door was opened, the sound of it alarming the Hyuuga of someone's position.

More murmuring and some angry snaps later, she felt a presence in front of her.

Grass and melon reached her nose and the feeling of a controlled, familiar chakra made the tears burst faster, her uncontainable sobs of momentary happiness ringing throughout the room in realization.

_She was back._

Hyuuga Hinata was back in the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

XXXX

.

Without knowing, it became a routine.

He would continue to watch her without knowing the reason, and she would remain asleep. Or not.

When she was awake, which was often, he knew.

When she sat there in her bed without saying anything, just sitting still, barely breathing, building a deafening silence, he was aware.

Her dreams were haunted, perhaps in the same way she haunted him, and she would hide it away from everyone.

From the Yamanaka, from her teammates, from the Hokage, from her Father, whom had finally shown up but had said nothing at all during his visit.

But not from him. After all, he was able to recognize her reactions and see them once she was jolted awake by unpleasant memories.

Uchiha Sasuke could smell the fear, feel the self-hatred, taste the disgust.

All these emotions, so black in their origin, were present on her face, shadowing her once-sweet features, and chasing the light away, wanting it gone and take its place as the rulers. Sometimes, she would grab her head and make efforts at calming her galloping heart, the alarming sounds of the irritating bleeps exposing her rapid pulse and overworked respiration.

He would wonder then at her thoughts. Was she suffering like him? Did he know what real nightmares were about? Could she feel the silence eating her alive, devouring her little by little? Was she aware of the cold, just like he was? Did she crave warmth? What was she thinking? Of the things she had lost? Of her title as future head of the Hyuuga Clan? Of her stained virtue?

He wouldn't voice his questions but he still got answers by the way she rubbed her arms to fend off the hospital's chill and then recoil, grimacing and scared at having make contact with her own skin.

Now that her teammates had cleverly discovered her stay in the hospital, they would sneak in and visit, always watching, just like he did every single night. It was different though. The Inuzuka and Aburame watched, helplessly and worriedly

They didn't know how to act, just like the Yamanaka in the beginning. They didn't know what to say, so they said nothing.

The waves of intense anger coming from the Inuzuka only terrified the Hyuuga, he could see it in the way she scooted back on the bed and bowed her head. Habit, he guessed. She would refuse to look at anybody, even with her bandages on.

She didn't tell them not to come near, but somehow, the male integrates of Team 8 knew that they had to keep their distance.

She would try to act normal, wearing a neutral expression when in company, and though her skill was okay, Sasuke could tell with a glance that no one was buying it.

It didn't come as a surprise when she sobbed in her sleep and fought with fragments of her imagination.

Cries of indescribable anguish and terror became a daily occurrence in room U215, which only made the hospital staff remove her from said room and away from the rest fo the patients and place her in a lower, more secure level of the building. Room U215's patient didn't exists anymore and patient S009 was added to the list instead.

Even sedated, the Hyuuga would break free, and her maddening shrieks reached their peak at two in the morning, just before Sasuke's shift ended.

It was beautiful.

The blinding light she always had around herself seemed to diminish with each passing hour and he found himself anticipating her complete break.

If she broke, the remaining shards would leave him without peace.

Yes. Yes, he didn't want to dwell in peace. That's right, break porcelain doll. _Break_.

"Break soon, Hyuuga," he whispered as he stood in front of her as the full light of the silvery moon washed over the room. Someone had opened the blinds at some point, perhaps a nurse in efforts of bringing light into the room, but the only thing it had accomplished was to make the female laying in bed seem more appealing.

The slumbering form of the ex-heiress didn't give a confirmation to his command and Sasuke closed the distance slowly, like a predator nearing his prey, until his face was so close to her he could smell the fresh, sweet scent of her flesh. Fingerless gloves allowed his fingertips to trace her brow, her cheek, down to her chin without obstruction, and fascinated with the soft petal-like texture of her skin, he continued to draw imaginary lines until they reached her white throat. There, he stopped.

Moving his mask to the side to expose his mouth, he turned his head, his chapped lips so close to her jaw he was tempted to touch it, just to see if it tasted like innocence."Break, Hyuuga Hinata. Break for me."

**XXXX**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**Chapter 4**...not done. D:

So it is, but it's too short for my liking. I hope you liked Hinata's POV. I don't know about you, but Sasuke is scaring the hell outta me.

I wanted to add a **lot** more, but I promised you guys to upload before the weekend came to an end, so here I am and it's Sunday, 10 PM ! Guess I did what I said I'd do, ne? I did mainly because I think I'll update within two weeks minimum and I knew that if I didn't upload NOW, I'd keep you waiting for a month so better give you this than nothing. I will be busy with Physics this month *sigh .

Have you guys ever felt like trash?

I feel like trash.

Like unclean, horrible, scumming trash.

Why, you may wonder?

Well, wonder no more, for I believe I AM BEING A COMPLETE B**CH TO MY HINA-HIME! D: But the plot requires it...I must listen to the plot!

Mountains of imaginary chocolate chip cookies to:

**jecka-hime22!**

**.**

**LadyCassie**

**.**

**Lost-puppyEYES**

**.**

**.**

**Kibachow!**

**And all the followers/Favorites as well! I got a lot this time. Bwhehe.**

_-_October 27, 2013. Sunday.


	6. Chapter 5: Deliriums

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XXXX

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**Chapter 5:**

_**Deliriums**_

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"_You would say anything,_

_You would try anything,_

_To escape your meaningless_

_And your insignificance._

_You're uncontrollable_

_And we are unlovable._

_And I don't want you to think that I care_

_I never would_

_I never could."_

-Escape__**by**_** Muse**_

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XXXX

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He couldn't understand her.

He couldn't.

She was there...

_Unbroken_.

This wasn't what he had expected. She was supposed to lose her aura of innocence. That light that had in the very beginning flickered out and welcomed, _shared_, darkness had been stopped, and for some inexplicable reason, her light had returned.

She wasn't recovered.

Far from it. She still cried, but her nightmares were slowing down. But even so, she was...still controlled. She wasn't angry, she was expressionless, almost _indifferent_.

It was all a lie. It had to be, Sasuke told himself. No one was strong enough to just go unaffected by a trauma. He would know better than anybody.

No one healed quickly. No, healing was just a lie the shrink fed its patients; a person never healed just got better at bearing the sick reality.

She had lost so much, and not even he was sure of what she had gone through, of the extend of her pain, but whatever had happened to her during her kidnapping, it couldn't be described as pleasant in the slightest.

"You see, Hyuuga," he said to his reflection of the bathroom's mirror, imaging that she was staring back at him from the other side with her gentle lavender eyes that had always ticked him off. Their softness, their texture-like comfort, their ignorance and warmth...He would probably never see those eyes again. Nah, never, not probably. "The world is not as merciful as you painted it out to be."

The Hyuuga girl watched him back with eyes full of sadness.

His knuckled gripped the edges of the porcelain sink and his onyx challenged her in return, their usual intensity and hatred toward the said world worn out and directed at her instead.

For now.

The reddened whites were undeniable clues to his sleepless nights. The cycle of perturbed slumber had come back and he wouldn't allow himself to search for comfort in a girl whose peace had wanted to envelope him. He didn't need it.

The day he had done that, he had been weak. There was no going around the issue. His body had given up on him and he wasn't going to take chances of her finding him without his gengutsu now. Even without sight, she was very alerted. She detected every sound, as insignificant as it may be, reminding him that she was not just a porcelain princess, but a kunoichi with skill.

_Hyuuga's are very sensible to chakra._

That's what those snobs claimed.

Hmph. Whatever; he just wasn't taking his chances with her up all night. He briefly wondered if she slept at all before the Hyuuga in the mirror raised a hand and touched the hard, cool surface.

Sasuke involuntary flinched and his eyes narrowed in awareness.

"What do you think you're doing?" he spoke quietly, softly but deadly.

The Hyuuga smiled and he looked at her with astonishment, not expecting that damn smile.

"The world," she began, lowering her eyes and then locking them with his, her voice as soft and caring as he remembered it to be, "is not as bad...when you have someone to share your pain with."

"I don't want to hear it, Hyuuga. I didn't ask you for useless philosophies," he snarled.

The girl's smile faded and her eyes closed. She rested her forehead on the transparent wall diving them from reality and madness and she sighed, her breath misting the mirror on his side and hiding her from view.

Sasuke watched, waiting for the fog to go away, but stiffened when the slow written words '_I Know You're Scared; I Am Too_' appeared instead of the bluenette.

He didn't think twice and reacted by instinct.

His fist destroyed his own reflection, bits of glass biting into his recently healed hand, but not before he saw the wild look in his eyes, accepting her truth.

XXXX

"We can't get them out without risking damage in the process."

Tsunade finally looked at Shizune, the pending documents in her hands forgotten as intense brown eyes moved position. "Explain."

Shizune complied, taking her rubber white gloves off and undoing her short ponytail at the top of her head. She had run to her mistress right away and hadn't taken her uniform off. The pale purple bags under her eyes spoke of a sleepless night, but her expression was hard and serious like the rest of her posture with no sign of complain anywhere. "It's not something we've seen before, Tsunade-sama. Whatever the receptacles hold cannot be taken out without using severe measurements and force it to open but we run the chance of destroying the Byakugan within. As a matter of fact, I don't believe the surface is glass at all. It's too hard and very unlikely to break. The lid is shut tight and sealed with the same material–"

"It's been more than two weeks," Tsunade stated softly, her small browns knitting into a scowl. "We should have had this over with since day two."

"Hai, Tsunade-sama."

"No change whatsoever, then, Shizune?"

"None."

The dark-haired medical ninja looked at the Hokage as the blonde sat back in her chair, a troubled expression on her face.

When Aburame Mitsuki turned in a sealed scroll with Hinata's eyes stored within, the procedure to take them out and check for any sort of damage or contamination began, only for the investigators to come to a sudden halt before starting anything at all.

The container wouldn't open and the Hyuuga were getting impatient to have their bloodline limit out of their hands. The second week was closing in and Hiashi was beginning to come everyday personally to speak with Tsunade.

This was getting more and more complicated, she thought in aggravation and stood up. "Well then," she said, her eyes narrowing."It's up to me now." She cracked her knuckles and smirked slightly. "Let's go see how unbreakable that glass is."

XXXX

"_Why, Neji-niisan?"_

Hyuuga Neji opened his eyes, startled at hearing the soft voice so close to him.

He whirled around, frantically searching for the source only to find white.

He flinched and covered his eyes with the sleeve of his arm, wincing at the sudden bright flash of light that had somehow entered his room.

His Byakugan silvery orbs centered on the floor and he realized, with a start, that the floor was nowhere to be found. He was hanging on air as if the concept of gravity had ceased to exist. He almost gasped at the blindness of the incomprehensible space, so white and clean it hurt to look.

This wasn't his room, nor any place he knew for that matter.

"Why, Neji-niisan?"

This time, a gasp cut through the air, shattering the tense atmosphere, and Neji ignored the burning of his eyes as he tried to desperately pinpoint the direction of her voice.

"Why, Neji-niisan?" she breathed, this time so low he barely caught the words.

"Hinata-sama!" he called.

"Why...w...-san?"

The voice was drifting away, vanishing.

The Hyuuga man's heart pumped rapidly inside his chest, wanting to rip itself out, and his nostrils flared as he breathed, trying to steady it as panic began to fill in. His legs began to move, taking a step forward, and seeing that he didn't sink, he took another, and another until he became a blurry shape in the mist of blankness with one goal in mind.

Find her.

So he ran without a plan toward the soft question, toward _her_. She was here, somewhere, perhaps lost in the whiteness of the chamber that seemed to have no end.

"_Why_?"

"Hinata-sama!" Neji shouted, the usual calm demeanor gone and replaced with distress. The voice was fading, leaving him behind. _She_ was fading. "Hinata-sama! Please," he panted for the air he no longer had. His desire to see if she was safe, whether or not she was here, looking for him the way he was doing right now, was so strong his body and mind couldn't take it simultaneously. "Please tell me where you are..."

He stopped to listen but the rush of blood in his ears was deafening, it didn't let him hear her.

He gritted his teeth and stayed still, hoping to hear a sound, waiting for a sign that could tell him where she had gone, why she had fled from him..

There was nothing but his own words tossed back unmercifully in the form of echoes.

"Hinata-sama?" he called tentatively like a child asking in dismay if the candy was gone.

Hinata did not respond.

"Hinata-sama..." Neji whispered, his eyes wet with tears, so foreign and strange to him it took a minute to place them.

He touched his cheek and at the point of his fingertip, a perfect sphere of crystalline water rested. Neji watched the alien drop roll down his index finger, leaving a trail of heat behind and sank to his knees, the ground invisible but solid.

He had lost her. How? How had he? How _could_ he?!

"W-why a-are you cr-crying?" a soothing, childish voice asked to his left.

Neji's head turned sharply and his eyes widened when he saw a three-year-old Hinata kneeling beside him, dressing in a deep blue colored kimono, the sleeves so long they pooled at the sides.

She squeaked when his gaze settled on her and she bowed her head, pink dusted cheeks reddening to a bright scarlet. "I-I'm sorry if I-I'm bo-bothering you," she whispered in apology. "I c-can leave, if y-you want, y-yes?"

"No!"

The girl stiffened and raised her head , large lavender eyes, heavy lidded and encased with long, thick eyelashes, widened in fright at the exclamation.

"Please stay," Neji said softly in an attempt to pacify the tiny girl that looked more like a princess from a fairy tale. Her midnight blue hair, once short in her childhood, was now long, cascading down her back and tied five inches before ending, fashioned just like his. Her bangs were parted in the middle and thrown to the side, framing her flushed cheeks and pink lips.

The little version of Hinata looked at him in the eye for a moment before averting her gaze and giving a tiny nod in return."H-hai."

Neji relaxed in immediate relief and looked down at his lap, where his hands rested, balled into fists. Small, delicate hands with chubby fingers grabbed his and Neji watched, mesmerized, as the girl opened his palm and placed one of her hands upon his, her warm touch so caring and soft his face melted into a smile.

She smiled in return and stared at their hands, one calloused from training and the other one smooth porcelain, so tiny he could have easily engulf it. "Y-you must t-train a lot," she commented, her face filled with awe and her cheeky grin fading into a closed gesture of mere lips.

"Hai," Neji answered quietly.

"If I m-may ask," she began and lifted her eyes, head cocked to the side, curiosity obvious in her posture. Neji waited for her to go on, feeling light-headed with dizziness. "Why do y-you t-train?"

He blinked in surprise, not having expected that question. "I...I train because I'm a shinobi." He almost cringed at his reasoning, but in a sense, it was true; all ninja trained, after all.

Hinata nodded and traced the lines of his hand with a finger with great concentration, as if she was marking an important map she wished to remember. "B-but why?" she pressed.

Neji frowned in confusion, not knowing how to respond anymore. The Hinata he had known at that age would have dropped the subject but this girl was still wondering aloud, wanting answers that he couldn't give. This was an older Hinata trapped in a smaller body.

She intertwined their fingers together and held on to him. "D-do you wish t-to p-protect someone im-important to you?"

Neji stared at her for a silent moment, the air he was about to inhale caught in his throat.

"I t-train be-because I want to pro-protect my Neji-niisan. H-he told me he wo-would take c-care of me," she smiled sweetly, her eyes faraway and unseen. "And I s-said I wo-would do the same."

Neji felt as if someone had punched him in the gut and he had to swallow thickly to say something back. "Oh," was the faint sound that came from his unmoving lips.

The little girl gripped his hand tighter, her eyes lit up with excitement. "Th-that's why I must become stronger. I-I want t-to be a s-strong ninja like my F-Father and b-be gentle, l-like my Mother," she proclaimed and giggled. "I-I will pro-protect my Neji-niisan, and become Head of my clan. I-I will p-protect everybody."

He could have sworn his heart broke little by little until nothing but bleeding pieces remained with each innocent word she spoke.

"W-wouldn't you do the s-same?" she asked, her gaze on the nonexistent sky, seeing, perhaps, her own future taking place right above their heads.

Neji nodded and had to fight the quivering of his lip. He was losing control of his emotions fast and could feel them making their way to the surface, overwhelming him. This...was too much, even for an ANBU Captain.

"I would..." he agreed, and shut his eyes in pain because what the three-year-old Hinata was saying was true; he had sworn to be her protector, and what did he do?

He went on ahead and tried to kill her in the Chunnin Exams, causing such an internal damage her heart was never the same after the killing blow he had tried to end her life with. He sometimes wondered, every time he saw her training or clutching her chest, if she knew how much he regretted his past acts. He could have killed her, would have, if not the Jonin senseis immobilizing him in the spot before his attack made contact. Did she know that behind his calm exterior, his mind tormented him with his sins? Did she know how deeply her tears cut him when she cried in her room at night, loneliness her only companion in her grief, as she mourned for the people who couldn't mourn for themselves? Did she know how proud she made him when she decided to go training by herself for almost a year and came back with two original, though not perfect, jutsus she herself had created? Was she aware that his chest swelled with happiness when she became the irrevocable heir of the Hyuuga?

Did she have any idea that Hyuuga Neji, always perfect, prodigy, and thought of as unfeeling, had cried silent tears of sorrow when he thought she had died, just like the seven clansmen before her?

He was her protector, in charge of her security. And where had he been when she needed him the most? In the dojo meditating. What was he doing now that she was back, kept in the hospital with none of their friends knowing she was in there? Here in the Main Family house, hiding in his room because he couldn't face her.

To see her disappointment in him, to watch her struggled because he wasn't there for her when he promised he would, was just _too_ much to bear.

No. He couldn't do it, _he couldn't bring himself to do it_.

He was a coward.

He was being selfish, too.

And where did that leave her?

Alone.

A pair of little hands cupped his cheeks and turned his face up. The young Hyuuga princess was looking at him with such great sadness and worry in her light lily eyes he wanted to scream and tell her he didn't deserve her concern.

"P-please d-don't cr-cry," she begged, wiping away stray tears with the sleeve of her kimono.

"F-forgive me, Hinata-sama!"

"Hinata-sama!" another voice called before Hinata could question Neji's sudden apology.

The older Hyuuga turned to the noise and saw...

Himself.

The little boy running in their direction couldn't be older than four or five, his long chestnut low ponytail moving with each step as he neared and waved at the tiny doll-like girl consoling the older Hyuuga.

Hinata's face broke into a shy smile full of life. "N-Neji-niisan!"

The small version of Neji smiled back, a light pink blush on his still baby-fat-containing cheeks. He bowed hastily before bending down and taking hold of her hand. "We must go, Hinata-sama!" he said, ignoring the presence of his old self completely.

Hinata squeaked as she was pulled up from the unseen floor. "B-but – " she tried to protest but the other child was already shaking his head.

"You're needed somewhere else."

Hinata's face fell. "B-but, niisan, what about him?" she asked, still holding a tiny palm to Neji's cheek.

"Please go, I will take care of the young man," the brunette proposed after a second of consideration.

Hinata seemed unsure and looked at the older Neji for guidance. Neji could only nod in encouragement though every cell of his being pleaded her not to go.

She smiled in relief, kissed his cheek, and giggled at Neji's stunned expression. She bowed low before turning around, the layers of her attire following after her, her blue mane of hair flowing in an imaginary wind.

He watched her go and to his surprise, the light followed behind her, giving chase happily and leaving him in diminishing darkness.

The young child turned to him, then, and his eyes were cold, penetrating, too malevolent to belong to a kid, all the joy in them sucked out.

"It was your fault," he hissed.

Neji's body went rigid and he stared at the child he once was, too taken aback by the sudden accusation to reply immediately.

"You left her. You promised you would be there. It was your fault she was taken!" his past version shouted.

_It was your fault._

It was _my_ fault.

"No, it wasn't as if I had a choice!" Neji tried to defend himself. "The attack –"

"That's not true," the child spat, taking a step forward menacingly. "You said you would keep her safe no matter the ircumstances. You broke your promise. You _lied_."

"No!" Neji began again, his eyes tightly shut as if by cutting the vision of the boy he would disappear altogether and with him, his cruel words. "No," he said slowly and an ache in his chest made him hiss with effort. His features turned pained and he breathed shakily. "No...I didn't mean for Hinata-sama to...to..."

"You didn't keep her safe!" the child screamed with such dark hatred it was palpable.

Neji opened his eyes sharply to look at his four-year-old self but when he did, his younger copy was gone, and with him, what remained of the white chamber. Now everything was black with an unnaturally red hue it made the place look macabre, his own shadow looking twisted and sickly.

"Why, Neji-niisan?"

Neji froze at hearing the whispered inquiry again, his mouth parted in unusual fright.

"Why did you..."

"Hi-Hinata-sama?" he chocked out, looking around wildly for her. He tried activating his Byakugan but his eyes weren't focusing and his chakra couldn't be felt. He tried again, and again, until a heavy sense of untamed desperation ran through him. Why couldn't he use his blood-limit? What was wrong with him?

"Neji-niisan," was the reply he got in her calm, sweetened voice that was all of the sudden very close.

He whirled around, and a crunched shape sat there, a few meters away from him, her back facing his now-turned body.

He fought the urge of running to her and checking if she was okay not because he didn't want to but because of the untouchable aura she radiated. He realized, then, that this couldn't be Hinata. The heiress of the Hyuuga was capable of brightening a whole battle field if she wished to and there was nothing but comfort and safety in her posture.

This wasn't the case. This time, there was something..._wrong_ in her that didn't fit her kind and sweet persona.

"Come here," she commanded softly, her head bowed, long locks of indigo, shinning red-violet in the terrifying light, hiding her face from view when he took a step in her direction. Hinata lifted her head to semi-look at him and Neji had to stop himself from backing away. It was okay, he was okay, he reminded himself and closed the distance until he was at eye-level with her, but even so, she refused to meet his gaze.

"What is it that you wish, Hinata-sama?" he asked carefully, the words tasting foul in his mouth for a reason, as if they didn't fit the situation at all.

Her hands shot out and grabbed him by the shoulders aggressively and without warning. Neji almost yelped in surprise. His eyes, though, widened to their greatest extent.

Hinata tilted her head to the side and the bangs that had hid her eyes from him were tossed to the side as she watched him with unemotional, empty eye-sockets.

"Why, Neji-niisan?" she breathed against his face, her endless holes dripping with a black, rotten substance that could only be old blood.

Neji's skin prickled with boosebumps and his teeth rattled in terror. It was then that he realized, that he _really_ understood, how scared, how helpless, and how distraught he actually was.

"Why, Neji-niisan?" Hinata sobbed, her fingers biting harshly into the skin of his shoulders, but he barely noticed. "Why did you abandoned me?!" she wailed.

**XXXX**

The abrupt urge to laugh almost overcame her, and if not for the lack of energy, Hinata would have giggled mirthlessly.

It was unreal. She couldn't believe, couldn't begin to grasp, emotionally, how she had ended up here, in the hospital's secluded area for special cases.

Special, she echoed in her thoughts without emotion. I was never special. Not gifted, like Neji-niisan and Hanabi-chan. Just a plain, dark girl fading into the background...Just a weak heiress for the most powerful clan of Konoha. Another kunoichi without real value. No beauty, no brightness, no personality, nothing that could make me stand out. I was just Hinata...

The melody of her cardiac rhythm coming from the monitor near her bed eased her out of her numb contemplations and the smell of Ino's perfume and the fresh cut flowers resting on her nightstand entered her nose. She wondered what kind of flowers the blonde had brought her. Were they lilies? Yellow or white roses? Hinata didn't know. The medical ninja had left without a word concerning them this morning. She had bid a small farewell before closing the door and leaving the brunette on her own.

It seemed like she was no longer her talkative self around Hinata, and it hurt. It hurt knowing that Ino and everybody else treated her like a breakable being that if not managed with care, would inevitably shatter for good.

I'm not weak anymore, she tried to remind herself but like the rest of her assurances, this one too fell short and flat in her head.

She no longer had her eyes, she knew that. Tsunade-sama had visited her and informed her of the state of her Byakugan. They were keeping it safe, the Hokage had said in a soft but firm voice. Her eyes were safe. Don't worry about them, Hinata. Things will work out eventually. Your eyes are safe.

Not the same could be said from her optic nerves and the delicate area encasing her new eyes. Not eyes, she corrected herself.

The blank plastic orbs placed into her sockets weren't real; they couldn't see the world for her, they couldn't handle her light, they were useless. Their only purpose? To keep the eye-holes from sinking. Nothing more.

She was blind and the percentage of her gaining her sight was zero.

Her kidnapper had made sure to crippled his new, shiny toy and had fractured more than enough bones and scarred her.

Her repugnance toward her skin wasn't gone, but she could feel the healed slashes adorning her body. And even if she hadn't sensed them, she could still remember how they were received.

She wished she didn't.

The memories, all of them, stored into her head until she thought they were going to make it burst, were driving her mad. They replayed again and again, never stopping, never ceasing. They taunted and teased venomously, coming near and then vanishing, only to appear in front of her the minute she dropped her guard. They keep on repeating themselves against her will and she, even with her best efforts, screamed for them to stop, both mentally and outwardly.

Hinata breathed slowly to keep her reaction to herself, but her monitor betrayed her and the skip of a beat was noticed by the figure keeping watch in the shadows.

She tugged on her thin blanket and turned away, as if she knew he was there (she didn't), and covered her head with them, as if she could shun away all evil thoughts dancing merrily inside of her.

It was odd and unwanted. Losing control, that is. She was no longer in charge of her emotions. Pain, Self-Hatred, Insanity, Sorrow, Anger, and Misery were all expectantly waiting for her to come to them and give up to her inner demons.

But she wouldn't. She wouldn't, she wouldn't, she wouldn't.

She wasn't ready to give up. She had lost so much already.

Her hands shook under the covers and she didn't bother to stop them. Hot drops of lava-like substance came pouring from her eyes, still bandaged with white gauze.

Tears.

It hurt to even do that. Cry.

She knew it wasn't good for her health. It would ruin the surgery and the fake implants. Her nerves were very sensitive, and she could tell that Ino was right by just how much it burned to spill tears.

Her only outlet, forbidden to use.

A sob escaped her mouth, and she muffled it with her palm. She hardened her heart, something she had been forced to do. It was close her grief or let insane wails of terror and madness consume her.

She would not succumb to the latter.

She wouldn't.

I was to be Head of the Hyuuga, she told herself. A leader prevails.

_A leader prevails._

She would never get to see her surroundings again, but she would still make the Hyuuga proud.

It was all she could do now.

XXXX

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**XXXX**

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**A/N:**

_Deliriums_ wasn't in my plans, but a lot of you were wondering about Neji, so I decided to show you what was up before Chapter 6, in which a certain something will occur to our heroine. (You will all be slack-jawed or ready to kill me, but I promise you that after Chapter 6,I 'll go easy on Hinata and Sasuke will begin to see another side of her (whether good or bad...you'll have to wait and see) and Sasuke..._confronts_ her?!. That's all I'm saying for now! So get ready for some character development and some obsessive stuff!

As for Sasuke...well, he's insane. Hinata's nature is driving him crazy. And, like one of my lovely reviewers put it "sh*t's about to go down" when Naruto finds out the Fifth kept Hinata's kidnapping from him. Can't wait.

Thanks to: nikols, Kibachow, Toolazytologin (aka Squishy lol), Lost-puppyEYES, RikuDai, .xX, B. Lilac, TAIRA18 for reviewing every single chapter (can't thank you enough!),Guest, umnia, ProjXPsyClone, Francis and SabakunoAnjel! Do you guys have any idea how happy your reviews make me? If you so...REVIEW MORE! My life needs your words to survive XD.

P.S: I said it would get dark,didn't I, people? :o

PPS: I never said Hinata was gonna break but this story is inspired by all the people who suffer through traumatic events and prevail. Life sucks, hates, and hurts like a b**ch. It breaks you, mocks you,insults you, you name it, the thing is, you freaking feel like the dirtiest thing on the planet for things that are out of your control, and this is my way of seeing a lot of things. I share this story because 1.) I'm sharpening my English, 2.) I'm irrevocably in love with SasuHina, 3.) Think that sharing my own story to you is great and makes me happy to see you love it, and 4.) I need an emotional outlet.:P

?'s Answered:

*Keep in mind the POV. This story was to be written in Sasuke's POV completely in the beginning and he sees things very differently from other characters. He's not Hinata; he has no way of knowing what she experienced so he makes his own conclusions and he still doesn't really feel the impact of 'rape' (yet). He realized that her virtue was 'stained' when he kept tabs on her body language. To me, Sasuke is indifferent to other's pain but now, he wants to enjoy Hinata's because she brings him peace, something that he inwardly thinks he doesn't deserve and it's killing him. His personality is a shield.

*Sasuke teaching Hinata about revenge. An interesting, tempting point, but I can't tell you what I'm planning, though thanks for trusting my plot! :D Makes me happy you have faith in me!

*I also wish Sasuke would go stuff his face in a patch of tomatoes and come back when he's nicer...but Sasuke will be there for eternity and the story needs him to keep going XD.

*This story was born when I was listening to _Angel of Music_ by Sarah Brightman and Steve! Though Muse's _Undisclosed Desires_ had a huge impact as well. Yeah, Sasuke's a mean, mean bastard and has issues. OF COURSE I WANT SOME COOKIES! I'm the personified Cookie Monster,woman!

*KUKUKU, your sadistic demands for Hinata's torturers is sooo coming true. But not yet *sad face. They will suffer! SUFFER, I SAY!

*To everyone in the hospital, Hinata is unstable and her friends think that she'll snap in any second.

-Nov. 8, 2013. Friday.


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